THE   YOSEMITE    GUIDE-BOOK. 


.,/^ 


GEOLOGICAL   SUKYEY   OF   CALIFORNIA. 

J.  D.  WHITNEY,  State  Geologist. 


THE 


lOSEMITE  GUIDE-BOOK: 


A   DESCRIPTION    OF   THE    YOSEMITE   VALLEY    AND    THE 

ADJACENT    EEGION    OF    THE    SIERRA    NEVADA, 

AND  OF  THE  BIG  TREES  OF  CALIFORNIA, 


ILLUSTRATED    BY   MAPS  AND  WOODCUTS. 


,*  "i  '•>  '     >    ' 


PUBLISHED    BY   AUTHOEITY   OF  THE  LEGISLATURE. 

1870. 


University  Press  :  Welch,  Bigelow,  &  Co., 

Cambridge. 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

Object  of  the  present  volume, — its  origin,  —  the  Congressional  grant  of  the  Yosemite  Valley 
and  the  Big  Trees  to  the  State  of  California,  9  ;  action  of  the  Governor,  —  appointment 
and  names  of  Commissioners,  —  surveys  to  establish  the  boundaries  of  the  grants,  —  accept- 
ance of  the  grants  by  the  State,  10;  action  of  the  Legislature, — authority  given  the  State 
Geologist  to  prepare  a  guide-book  of  the  Valley  and  Grove,  —  action  of  the  Commissioners 
and  the  State  Geologist  in  carrying  out  the  directions  of  the  Legislature,  11 ;  Surveys  made 
for  the  Commissioners,  —  report  of  the  Commissioners,  13  ;  their  plans  and  wishes,  — history 
of  the  settlement  of  the  Yosemite  Vallcj^  —  Indian  war,  14  ;  aboriginal  names  of  the  promi- 
nent points  in  and  around  the  Yosemite,  16,  17;  these  names  not  current  at  present, — 
system  adopted  by  the  Geological  Survey  in  giving  names,  18  ;  history  of  the  discovery  and 
settlement  of  the  Yosemite,  —  first  visits  by  toni-ists,  —  public  houses  built  there,  19  ;  settlers 
in  the  Valley,  —  their  attempt  to  get  possession  of  it,  —  action  of  the  Legislature  and  Con- 
gress, 20 ;  reason  for  not  yielding  to  their  demands,  21  ;  the  promises  and  the  duties  of  the 
State  of  Cahfornia,  22. 

CHAPTER    II. 

GENERAL. 

Sketch  of  the  topographical  features  of  the  United  States,  24,  25 ;  the  mountain  system  west  of 
.the  105th  meridian,  25  ;  the  name  suggested  for  it  as  a  whole,  26  ;  history  of  its  exploration, 
26,  27 ;  need  of  good  maps,  —  sanitary  value  of  mountain  travel,  27  ;  mountains  of  Califor- 
nia, 28;  the  Coast  Ranges  and  the  Sierra  Nevada,  29  ;  topography  and  botany  of  the  Coast 
Ranges,  31,  33 ;  interesting  points  to  be  visited,  34,  35 ;  ascent  of  Monte  Diablo,  34  ;  char- 
acter of  Coast  R.-inge  scenery,  35 ;  views  from  points  about  San  Francisco,  35,  36 ;  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  37-46;  its  extent,  37  ;  elevation,  38;  heights  of  passes  and  dominating 
peaks,  38,  39;  its  geology,  39  ;  forest  vegetation,  40,  41  ;  climate,  42  ;  rain  and  snow  on  the 
Sierra,  43,  44;  former  existence  of  glaciers,  45  ;  former  greater  precipitation,  46. 


244797 


vi  TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE     Y  O  S  E  JI  I  T  E     VALLEY. 

The  Yoscmitc  Valley,  its  position,  47  ;  routes  to,  48 ;  advantages  of  each,  49  ;  advice  in  regard 
to  getting  to  and  from  the  Valley,  50 ;  the  route  by  Coulterville,  51  ;  the  Bower  Cave,  52 ; 
Pilot  Peak,  53 ;  route  by  Bear  Valley  and  Mariposa,  54 ;  White  and  Hatch's,  —  Clark's 
ranch,  55;  "WcstfiiU's,  —  position  of  the  Yoseniite,  —  maps  rcfenx'd  to,  56,  57;  principal 
features  of  the  Valley,  57 ;  El  Capitan,  58  ;  Bridal  Veil  Fall,  59  ;  Virgin's  Tears  Fall,  — 
Cathedral  Rock,  60  ;  the  Three  Brothers,  62  ;  Sentinel  Bock,  62  ;  the  Yoseniite  Fall,  62  -  65 ; 
Eoval  Arches,  —  North  Dome,  66  ;  Half  Dome,  67,  68  ;  MiiTor  Lake,  —  Cloud's  Best,  69  ; 
the  Vernal  Fall,  70;  Nevada  Fall,  71  ;  the  Illilouctte  canon,  72  ;  botany,  topography,  and 
o-eology  of  the  Yoscmitc,  72-87  ;  its  shape  and  elevation,  73  ;  vegetation,  73-  76;  the  walls, 
—  exit  from,  77  ;  its  waterfalls,  77  ;  changes  in  the  waterfalls  at  different  seasons,  78;  com- 
2>arison  of  celebrated  falls  with  those  of  the  Yoscmitc,  79;  appearance  of  the  Valley  in  the 
winter,  —  pcciiliar  type  of  scenery  in  the  Yosemite,  80;  how  originated, — not  ])y  aqueous 
erosion,  81,  82;  nor  by  glaciers,  83;  general  remarks  on  the  formation  of  Valleys,  84; 
theory  suggested  for  the  origin  of  the  Yosemite,  85 ;  reasons  for  adopting  this  theory,  86,  87. 

CHAPTER   IV. 

THE      HIGH      SIEREA. 

Visitors  to  the  Y'osemite  advised  to  extend  their  journey  to  the  higher  regions  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  —  advantages  of  the  climate  for  such  excursions,  88 ;  comparison  of  Swiss  and  Cali- 
fornian  scenery,  89 ;  tour  around  the  Yosemite,  90  ;  route  to  be  followed,  91  ;  visit  to  the  top 
of  the  Three  Brothers,  92  ;  to  summit  of  Mount  Hoff"mann,  93 ;  view  of  Castle  Peak,  93 ; 
Lake  Tenaya,  94  ;  Cathedral  Peak,  95,  96  ;  Tuolumne  Valley,  and  Soda  Springs,  97  ;  view 
from  Soda  Springs,  98;  glaciers  once  existing  here,  —  description  of  the  scenery,  — the 
Tuolumne  canon  probably  containing  grand  Avaterfalls, — the  Hetch-Hetchy  Valley,  99; 
ascent  of  Mount  Dana,  100;  topography  of  the  crest  of  the  Sierra,  101  ;  passes  near  Mount 
Dana,  — view  from  its  summit,  102;  geology,  —  glaciers,  —  moraine  lakes,  103;  ascent 
of  Mount  Lyell,  104;  return  route,  — the  Little  Yosemite,  105;  Mount  Starr  King,  —  Sen- 
tinel Dome,  106;  views  from  the  Dome  and  Glacier  Point,  107  ;  the  Merced  Group,  — the 
Obelisk,  108;  Mount  Bitter,  109;  the  Hetch-Hetchy  Valley,  110,  111  ;  High  Sien-a  at  head 
of  King's  and  Kern  Bivers,  112,  138;  party  for  its  exploration  in  1864,  112  ;  their  roiite,- 
ascent  of  Bald  Mountain,  103  ;  scenery  of  the  region,  —  Dyke  Ridge,  —Big  Meadows,  114 ; 
Dome  Mountains,  115;  structure  of  the  granite,  116;  the  Kettle,  117,  118;  the  divide 
beyond  the  Kettle,  119;  Sugar  Loaf  Rock,  —  Mount  Brewer,  1 20 ;  view  from  Mount  Brewer, 
121,  122  ;  topography  of  the  region,  122  ;  magnificence  of  the  scenery,  and  character  of  the 
coimtry  about  the  head  of  King's  River,  L23 ;  Mr.  King's  ascent  of  INIount  Tyndall,  124, 
126;   view  from  its  summit,  126;   attempt  to  ascend  Mount  Whitney,  127,  128;  route  fol- 


TABLE  OF   CONTENTS.  vii 

lowed,  —  topography  of  the  region, — elevation  reached,  128;  canon  of  south  fork  of 
King's  River,  129;  stupendous  scenery,  129,  130;  pass  out  from  the  canon,  —  attempts  to 
reach  Mount  Goddard,  130;  Mount  King,  130;  the  Palisades,  J31  ;  the  party  descends  into 
Owen's  Valley,  132;  return  across  the  Sierra  at  head  of  west  branch  of  Owen's  River,  133  ; 
grandeur  of  the  scenery, —  Red  Slate  Peaks,  134;  depression  at  forks  of  King's  River, — 
region  loved  by  the  Diggers,  135;  ascent  of  Mount  Goddard, — north  fork  of  the  San  Joa- 
quin, 136;  dome  of  granite,  —  getting  out  of  the  canon,  —  scenery,  —  Mount  Rittcr,  137; 
ascent  of  Black  Mountain,  return  to  Clark's  ranch,  138. 

CHAPTER   V. 

THE      BIG     TREES. 

First  discovery  of  the  Big  Trees,  139  ;  history  of  their  scientific  nomenclature,  140,  141  ;  wide 
distribution  of  the  cultivated  trees,  141 ;  name  of  the  genus,  whence  dei'ived,  141,  142  ;  geo- 
graphical range  and  habitat  of  the  redwood  and  Big  Tree,  142  ;  size  of  the  redwood,  143; 
grandeur  of  the  redwood  forests,  144 ;  distribution  of  the  Big  Trees,  144,  145  ;  the  Calaveras 
Grove,  145 ;  measurements  of  the  trees  in  the  grove,  146 ;  age  of  the  Big  Trees,  147  ;  height 
of,  —  the  Beaver  Creek  Grove,  — the  Crane  Flat  Grove,  148  ;  the  Mariposa  Grove,  149-151  ; 
measurements  of  trees  in  this  grove, — vegetation  of  the  meadoAvs  and  grove,  151;  the 
Lower  Grove,  —  the  Grizzly  Giant, — Fresno  County  Grove,  152;  the  King's  River  belt  of 
Big  Trees,  153  ;  the  Tule  River  Groves,  154  ;  comparison  of  the  Big  Trees  with  other  trees, 
154,  155. 


TEEFATOEY    NOTE, 


A  STATEJiEXT  of  the  Tvay  in  which  the  present  vohime  came  to  be  authorized 
hj  the  Legislature,  and  of  the  sources  from  which  the  infoi'mation  it  contains 
was  drawn,  will  be  found  in  the  introductory  chapter.  It  may  be  proper  to  add, 
that  two  editions  of  the  work  have  been  published,  one  in  quarto  form,  with 
photogi'aphic  illustrations,  the  other  (the  present  volume,  namely),  with  wood- 
cuts. These  cuts  have  been  selected  from  among  those  used  in  the  first  vol- 
ume of  our  "  Geology  of  California."  The  maps  are  the  same  in  both  editions, 
and  the  text  also,  except  that  some  verbal  changes  have  been  made,  and  a 
few  pages  added,  in  this  edition,  relating  to  that  portion  of  the  High  SieiTa 
which  lies  near  the  head  of  the  Kern,   King's,  and  San  Joaquin  Rivers. 

J.  D.  W. 

Cambridge,  ^Iass.,  May  1,  1869. 


THE  YOSEMITE  GUIDE-BOOK. 


CHAPTER    I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

The  object  of  this  volume  is  to  call  the  attention  of  the  public  to  the 
scenery  of  California,  and  to  furnish  a  reliable  guide  to  some  of  its  most 
interesting  features,  namely,  the  Yosemite  Valley,  the  High  Sierra  in  its 
immediate  vicinity,  and  the  so-called  "  Big  Trees."  Much  has  indeed  already 
been  published  in  regard  to  these  remarkable  localities  ;  but  in  all  that  has 
been  given  to  the  public,  with  the  exception  of  the  necessarily  brief  descrip- 
tion in  the  Repoi-t  of  the  Geological  Survey  (Geology,  Vol.  I.),  there  has  been 
little  of  accuracy,  and  almost  nothing  of  permanent  value. 

The  origin  of  the  present  volume  is  to  be  found  in  the  action  of  Congress 
and  the  State  of  California  in  regard  to  the  Yosemite  Valley  and  the  Mari- 
posa Grove  of  Big  Trees.  This  action  dates  back  to  the  year  1864.  In  that 
year  Congress,  being  moved  thereto  by  certain  influential  and  intelligent 
citizens  of  California,  passed  the  following  Act  :• — - 

^  "  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  in  Congress  assembled,  That  there  shall  be,  and  is  hereby,  granted  to  the 
State  of  California,  the  '  Cleft '  or  '  Gorge '  in  the  Granite  Peak  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountain,  situated  in  the  county  of  Mariposa,  in  the  State  aforesaid, 
and  the  head-waters  of  the  Merced  River,  and  known  as  the  Yosemite  Valley, 
with  its  branches  and  spurs,  in  estimated  length  fifteen  miles,  and  in  average 
width  one  mile  back  from  the  main  edge  of  the  precipice,  on  each  side  of  the 
valley,  with  the  stipulation,  nevertheless,  that  the  said  State  shall  accept  this 
gi-ant  upon  the  express  conditions  that  the  premises  shall  be  held  for  public  use, 
resort,  and  recreation ;  shall  be  ina.lienable  for  all  time  ;  but  leases  not  exceeding 
ten  years  may  be  gi-anted  for  portions  of  said  premises.  |  All  incomes  derived 
from  leases  of  j)rivileges  to  be  expended  in  the  preservation  and  improvement  of 
.2 


10  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

the  property,  or  the  roads  leading  thereto  -I  the  boundaries  to  be  established  at 
the  cost  of  said  State  by  the  United  States  Suri'eyor-General  of  California,  Avhosc 
official  plat,  when  affirmed  by  the  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office,  shall 
constitute  the  evidence  of  the  locus,  extent,  and  limits  of  the  said  Cleft  or  Gorge ; 
the  premises  to  be  managed  by  the  Governor  of  the  State,  with  eight  other  Com- 
missioners, to  be  appointed  by  the  Executive  of  California,  and  who  shall  receive 
no  comjDcnsation  for  their  services.  / 

"  Sect.  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  there  shall  likewise  be,  and  there  is 
hereby,  granted  to  the  said  State  of  California,  the  tracts  embracing  what  is 
known  as  the  '  Mariposa  Big  Tree  Grove,'  not  to  exceed  the  area  of  four  sections, 
and  to  be  taken  in  legal  subdivisions  of  one-quarter  section  each,  with  the  like 
stipulations  as  expressed  in  the  first  section  of  this  Act  as  to  the  State's  accept- 
ance, with  like  conditions  as  in  the  first  section  of  this  Act  as  to  inalienability, 
yet  with  the  same  lease  privileges ;  the  income  to  be  expended  in  the  preservation, 
improvement,  and  protection  of  the  property,  the  premises  to  be  managed  by 
Commissioners,  as  stipulated  in  the  first  section  of  this  Act,  and  to  be  taken  in 
legal  subdivisions  as  aforesaid ;  and  the  official  jilat  of  the  United  States  Surveyor- 
General,  when  affirmed  by  the  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office,  to  be  the 
evidence  of  the  locus  of  the  said  Mariposa  Big  Tree  Grove." 

The  above-cited  Act  was  approved  by  the  President,  June  30,  18G4,  and 
shortly  after  a  Proclamation  was  issued  by  the  then  Governor  of  California, 
F.  F.  Low,  taking  possession  of  the  tracts  thus  granted,  in  the  name  and  on 
behalf  of  the  State,  appointing  commissioners  to  manage  them,  and  warning 
all  persons  against  trespassing  or  settling  there  without  authority,  and  espe- 
cially forbidding  the  cutting  of  timber  and  other  injuriovxs  acts. 

The  Commissioners  first  appointed  were  F.  Law  Olmsted,  J.  D.  Whitney, 
William  Ashburner,  I.  W.  Raymond,  E.  S.  Holden,  Alexander  Deering,  George 
W.  Coulter,  and  Galen  Clark,  all  of  whom  continue  to  hold  office,  with  the 
exception  of  Mr.  Olmsted,  who  resigned  shortly  after  returning  to  the  East, 
and  whose  place  has  been  filled  by  the  appointment  of  Henry  W.  Cleaveland. 

The  surveys  necessary  to  establish  the  boundaries  of  the  grants  in  question, 
as  required  by  the  Act  of  Congress,  were  made  in  the  autumn  of  1864,  by 
Messrs.  J.  T.  Gardner  and  C.  King,  and  tlje  official  plat  of  their  work  Avas 
forwarded  by  the  Sm-A'cyor-General  of  California  to  the  authorities  at  Wash- 
ington, and  accepted  by  the  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office  ;  thus, 
in  the  language  of  the  Act,  establishing  "  the  locus,  extent,  and  limits  "  of  the 
gi-ants  of  the  Yosemite  Valley  and  the  Mariposa  Big  Tree  Grove. 


INTRODUCTOEY.  11 

A  map  of  the  Yosemite  Vallc}',  ou  a  scale  of  two  inches  to  one  mile,  was 
drawn  by  Mr.  Gardner,  showing  the  boundaries  of  the  Yosemite  Valley  grant, 
and  the  topography  of  its  immediate  vicinity.  This  map  has  been  engraved 
and  is  appended  to  the  present  volume,  as  will  be  noticed  further  on.  ^ 

Before,  however,  the  Yosemite  Valley  and  the  Big  Tree  Grove  could  become 
the  property  of  the  State,  it  was  necessary  that  the  grant  made  by  Congress 
should  be  accepted  by  the  State  Legislature,  with  all  the  stipulations  and 
reservations  contained  therein.  The  grant  had  no  validity  until  the  State, 
through  its  Legislatiu-e,  had  solemnly  promised  to  take  the  premises  for  the 
benefit  of  the  people,  for  their  use,  resort,  and  recreation,  and  especially  "to 
HOLD  THEM  INALIENABLE  FOR  ALL  TIME."  This  was  not  an  Ordinary  gift  of 
land,  to  be  sold  and  the  proceeds  used  as  desired  ;  but  a  trust  imposed  on 
the  State,  of  the  nature  of  a  solemn  compact,  forever  binding  after  having 
been  once  accepted.  Had  the  State  declined  to  accept  the  trust,  on  the  con- 
ditions expressed  in  the  Act,  the  whole  proceeding  would  have  been  null  and 
void,  and'  the  premises  woidd  have  continued,  as  they  originally  were,  a  part 
of  the  national  domain. 

But,  at  the  next  session  of  the  Legislatm-e  of  California  after  the  passage 
of  the  Act  of  Congress  cited  above,  an  Act  was  passed  accepting  the  grant  of 
the  Yosemite  Valley  and  the  Big  Tree  Grove,  on  the  stipulated  conditions, 
confirming  the  appointment  of  the  Commissioners,  organizing  them  into  a  body 
for  legal  pui-poses,  and  empowering  them  to  make  regadations  and  by-laws  for 
their  own  government.  The  Act  of  the  Legislature  also  contained  provisions 
making  it  a  penal  offence  to  commit  depredations  on  the  premises,  and 
authorizing  the  appointment  of  a  guardian  to  take  charge  of  the  Grove  and 
Valley. 

In  this  Act  there  was  special  authority  given  to  the  State  Geologist  to 
make  fm'ther  explorations  and  surveys  in  and  about  the  premises  ceded  by 
the  United  States,  and  to  prepare  and  publish  such  topographical  maps  and 
reports  on  the  region  as  he  might  deem  advisable,  for  the  purpose  of  furnish- 
ing travellers  with  desirable  information.  This  was  a  part  of  the  legitimate 
work  of  the  Geological  Smn-ey ;  and  similar  explorations,  maps,  and  reports  of 
the  whole  of  the  mountain  regions  of  the  State,  but  especially  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  should  be  made,  and,  indeed,  would  have  been,  had  the  necessary 
means   been   furnished   by  the  Legislature  ;   for  no  more  suitable  way  of  em- 


o 


12  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

ploying  our  time  and  monev  could  be  suggested  tlian  this.  Thus  the  first 
step  towards  increasing  the  facilities  of  travel  and  fulfilling  the  stipulations 
of  the  grant  was  taken,  to  be  followed,  it  was  hoped,  by  opening  roads  and 
trails  in  and  about  the  Valley  and  Grove,  building  bridges,  and  by  a  variety 
of  similar  enterprises  calculated  to  render  the  region  accessible  and  attractive 
to^ravellers. 

In  obedience  to  the  special  request  of  the  Legislature,  therefore,  onr  atten- 
tion was  at  once  turned  to  the  region  of  the  Yosemite  Yallc}' ;  and,  as  early 
in  18GG  as  the  season  Avould  permit,  a  party  was  organized  by  the  State 
Geologist  for  the  i^m-pose  of  making  a  detailed  geographical  and  geological 
survey  of  the  High  Sierra  in  that  vicinity,  —  a  district  Avhich  had  been  rapidly 
reconnoitred  and  roughly  mapped  by  us  during  the  season  of  1863,  enough 
work  having  been  done  at  that  time  to  satisfy  us  that  its  scenery  was  in  the 
highest  degree  attractive,  and  that  it  possessed  many  features  which  should 
make  it  particulaidy  desirable  as  a  resort  for  pleasure  travellers,  in  addition  to 
the  Yosemite  Valley  and  the  Big  Trees  themselves.  Tli£  party  of  1866  con- 
sisted of  Messrs.  King,  Gardner,  Bolandcr,  and  Brinley,  with  two  men,  and  was 
accompanied  during  a  part  of  the  time  by  the  State  Geologist.  This  party 
continued  in  the  field  from  June  to  October,  exploring  and  mapping  the 
region  about  the  heads  of  the  Merced,  Tuolumne,  and  San  Joaquin  Rivers,  or 
that  portion  of  the  High  Sierra  which  lies  between  the  parallels  of  37°  30' 
and  38°,  and  which  is  most  easily  and  natm-ally  accessible  by  the  same 
approaches  which  lead  to  the  Yosemite  Valley.  An  accurate  topographical 
map  of  the  district  embraced  in  these  explorations  was  commenced  by  Mr. 
Gardner,  in  the  winter  of  1866,  on  a  scale  of  two  miles  to  one  inch.  To 
complete  the  survey's  necessary  for  this  map,  —  a  Avork  requiring  more  than 
one  season,  —  another  party  was  organized  in  1867,  imder  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Hoffmann.  This  party  continued  in  the  field  during  the  months  of  August 
and  September  of  that  year,  and  the  map  was  finished  and  placed  in  the 
engraver's  hands  in  the  spring  of  1868,  and  will  be  found  appended  to  the 
present  volume.  It  contains  the  minute  details  of  the  topography  of  one  of 
the  roughest  and  most  elcA-ated  portions  of  the  State,  and  is  believed  to  be  the 
first  accurate  map  of  any  high  mountain  region  ever  prepared  in  the  United 
States. 
^      Besides  the  sm-veys  and  exijlorations  mentioned  above  as  having  been  made 


INTKODUCTORY.  13 

under  the  dh-ection  of  the  State  Geologist,  by  authority  of  the  Legislature, 
for  the  i^urjjose  of  preparing  a  reliable  guide-book  to  the  Yoscmite  Valley,  a 
careful  survey  of  the  bottom  of  the  Valley  was  made  for  the  use  of  the  Com- 
missioners and  plotted  on  a  scale  of  ten  chains  to  one  inch,  making  a  map 
fifty  by  thirty  inches  in  size.  This  map  has  the  number  of  acres  of  each 
tract  of  meadow,  timber,  and  fern  land  designated  on  it,  and  also  the  bounda- 
ries of  the  claims  of  the  settlers,  and  a  statement  of  the  number  of  acres 
enclosed  and  claimed  by  them.  The  principal  gi-ove  of  trees  in  the  Big  Tree 
grant  was  also  surveyed,  each  tree  of  over  one  foot  in  diameter  measured,  and 
the  height  of  a  number  of  them  accurately  determined.  As  thus  measured,  the 
trees  were  carefidly  plotted,  so  that  theii>exact  position,  siz^,  and  relations  to 
each  other  can  be  seen  at  a  glance.  y\ 

From  the  very  limited  appropriation  of  %  2,000  made  by  the  Legislatm-e  of 
18G5-G6  for  the  pm-poses  of  the  Commissioners,  but  little  remained  after  pay- 
ing the  salary  of  the  Guardian  of  the  Gi'ove  and  Valley,  Mr.  Galen  Clark  ; 
with  what  was  left  some  improvements  were  made  on  the  trails  in  the  Val- 
ley, in  order  to  render  interesting  points  more  accessible,  and  two  bridges 
were  built  across  the  Merced  Iliver ;  one  at  the  lower  end  of  the  Valley,  iu 
order  to  avoid  the  delay  and  expense  of  the  ferry ;  the  other  above  the 
Vernal  Fall,  so  that  the  summit  of  the  Nevada  Fall  might  be  rendered  acces- 
sible. Unfortunately,  both  these  bridges  were  swept  away  by  the  unprece- 
dentedly  high  water  of  the  winter  of  1867-68,  which  destroyed  every  bridge 
on  the  Merced  River. 

At  the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  California  which  commenced  in  Decem- 
ber, 1867,  the  first  after  the  taking  possession  of  the  Yosemite  Valley  by  the 
State,  the  Commissioners  presented  their  report,  as  required  by  law,  in  which 
they  stated  what  they  had  been  able  to  accomplish  in  the  way  of  improve- 
ments in  and  about  the  Valley,  and  requested  a  small  additional  appropriation 
for  the  purpose  of  making  interesting  points  more  accessible,  and  of  removing 
all  charges  or  tolls  on  ladders,  ferries,  bridges,  &c.  They  also  asked  for  a 
sufficient  sum  for  the  salary  of  the  Guardian  and  his  assistant,  so  that  one  or 
the  other  might  be  able  to  be  on  the  spot  during  all  the  season  for  visitors, 
it  having  been  found  that  careless  or  malicious  persons  would  injm'e  or  even 
cut  down  the  trees  and  shrubs,  or  set  them  on  fire,  unless  some  person, 
armed  with  the  authority  of  the  State,  was  at  hand  to  prevent  such  mischief. 


14  THE   YOSEiUTE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

Besides  all  this,  reference  was  made  to  the  case  of  certain  settlers  in,  and 
claimants  to,  portions  of  the  Yosemite  Valle}-,  to  which  the  attention  of  the 
reader  will  have  to  be  called  for  a  short  time.  And,  in  order  to  understand 
the  condition  of  things,  it  will  be  necessary  to  go  back  and  give  a  brief  ac- 
count of  the  discovery  and  occupation  of  the  Valle}',  embodying  in  this 
account  some  particulars  with  which  it  will  always  be  interestino-  for  travel- 
lers to  be  acquainted.     /  ,j 

The  whites  living  on  the  streams  which  head  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Yosem- 
ite had,  in  1850,  found  themselves  unable  to  live  in  peace  with  the  few 
scattered  Indians  in  that  region,  and,  after  some  murders  and  much  trouble,  a 
military  company  was  formed  to  drive  them  oiit  of  the  country.  In  the 
com-se  of  the  skii-mishing  and  fighting  which  took  place,  it  was  ascertained 
that  the  Indians  had  a  stronghold  or  retreat  flir  up  in  the  mountains,  in 
which  they  thought  that  they  could  take  refuge,  and  remain  without  the 
slightest  danger  of  being  found.  This  place  of  refuge  was  the  Yosemite 
Valley,  and  this  was  the  way  in  which  it  first  came  to  be  heard  of  by  white 
people.  Of  course  the  curiosity  of  the  settlers  was  excited  in  regard  to  this 
stronghold,  and  in  the  spring  of  1851  an  expedition  was  organized,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Boling,  to  explore  the  mountains  and  discover  and  drive 
out  the  Indians  from  their  fastness.  This  was  in  March,  1851.  Under  the 
guidance  of  an  old  chief,  named  Tenaj-a,  whose  name  is  jDerpetuated  in  the 
beautiful  lake  which  lies  between  Mt.  Hoffmann  and  Cathedral  Peak,  and  in 
the  branch  of  the  Merced  Eiver  heading  in  that  lake,  the  party  reached  the 
Valley,  drove  out  the  Indians,  killed  a  few,  and  "made  peace"  with  the  rest, 
who  wei'e  terribly  disheartened  at  this  unceremonious  invasion,  on  the  part  of 
the  whites,  into  w^hat  they  had  supposed  to  be  their  impregnable  retreat. 
Everything  seems  to  have  remained  quiet  in  the  region  until  1852,  when  a 
party  of  miners  was  attacked,  under  what  provocation  is  not  stated,  by  the 
Indians  in  the  Valley,  and  two  of  them  killed  and  buried  near  the  Bridal 
Veil  Meadow.  This  led  to  another  expedition  into  the  Valley  by  the  Mari- 
posa battalion,  who  killed  some  and  drove  out  the  rest  of  the  Indians  ;  these 
took  refuge  with  the  Monos,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  SieiTa,  but  got  into 
difficulty  there,  and,  escaping  with  a  lot  of  stolen  horses,  were  followed  back 
to  the  Yosemite  by  the  Monos,  w^here  a  battle  was  fought  resulting  in  the 
almost  entire  extermination  of  the  Yosemite  tribe.      Since  that  time  the  Val- 


INTRODUCTOEY.  15 

ley  has  been  annually  visited  b}^  the  Monos  at  the  time  of  the  ripening  of 
the  acorns,  for  the  piu'pose  of  laying  in  a  stock  of  this  staple  article  of  food ; 
but  the  number  of  Indians  actually  and  permanently  resident  in  and  about 
the  Yosemite  or  the  Mariposa  Grove  is  very  small.  Like  the  rest  of  the  so- 
called  "  diggers "  in  California,  they  are  a  miserable,  degraded,  and  fast-disap- 
pearing set  of  beings,  who  must  die  out  before  the  progress  of  the  Avhite 
man's  civilization,  and  for  whom  there  is  neither  hope  nor  chance. 

The  Indian  residents  in  and  about  the  Yosemite  Valley  arc  said  to  have 
been  a  mixed  race,  made  up  of  the  disaffected  of  the  various  tribes  from  the 
Tuolumne  to  King's  River.*  But  little  is  known  of  their  language ;  but  it  is 
well  ascertained  that  they  had  a  name  for  every  meadow,  cliff,  and  waterfall 
in  and  about  the  Valley.  The  families  of  the  tribe  had  each  its  special 
"reservation"  or  tract  set  apart  for  its  use,  each  of  these,  of .  course,  having 
its  distinct  appellation.  It  were  much  to  be  desired  that  these  names  coxdd 
be  retained  and  perpetiiated,  but  it  is  impossible  ;  they  have  already  almost 
passed  into  oblivion.  They  are  so  long,  so  uncertain  in  their  spelling  and 
meaning,  that  they  have  never  been  adopted  into  general  use,  and  never  will 
be.  The  only  one  which  is  current  is  that  of  the  Valley  itself,  —  "  Yosemite," 
and  this,  it  appears,  is  not  the  name  given  to  the  Valley  by  the  Indians ;  the 
word  means  "  Grizzly  Bear,"  and  was  probably  the  name  of  a  chief  of  the 
tribe ;  or,  perhaps,  this  was  the  name  given  to  the  Valley  by  the  band  of 
Indians  driven  out  by  the  whites  in  1851.  Such  would  seem  to  be  the  case, 
from  the  fact  that  the  name  became  current  at  that  time.  At  all  events,  it 
is  well  known  that  the  present  Indian  name  of  the  Valley  is,  not  Yosemite, 
but  Ahwahnee. 

While  om-  party  was  at  the  Yosemite,  in  1866,  the  services  of  a  person  des- 
ignated as  the  most  reliable  Indian  interpreter  in  the  region  were  secured 
to  accompany  us  around  the  Valley  and  give  the  Indian  names  of  the  dif- 
ferent objects  and  localities  and  their  meaning.  This  gentleman,  Mr.  B.  B. 
Travis,  furnished  the  following  names,  which  were  taken  down  by  Mr.  Bo- 
lander  as  nearly  as  he  could  imitate  them,  the  Italian  sounds  being  given  to 
the  vowels  :  — 

*  See  Dr.  BunnelFs  account  of  the  "Indian  War"  in  Hutchings's  California  Magazine,  and  in  the 
"  Scenes  in  California,"  by  the  same  author. 


16  THE   YOSKMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

Pateea.     The  mountain  over  \vlucli  the  Yosemite  trail  inins. 

Topinemete.  The  rocks  botweou  the  foot  of  the  Mariposa  trail  and  the  Bridal 
Veil  Fall ;  said  to  mean  "  a  succession  of  rocks." 

Pohono.  The  Bridal  Veil  Fall ;  explained  to  signify  a  blast  of  wind,  or  the 
night-wind,  perhaps  from  the  chilliness  of  the  air  occasioned  by  coming 
under  the  high  clilf  and  near  the  falling  water,  or  possibly  with  reference 
to  the  constant  swaying  of  the  sheet  of  water  from  one  side  to  the  other 
under  the  influence  of  the  wind.  Mr.  Hutchings,  more  poetically,  says  that 
"  Pohono  "  is  "  an  evil  spirit,  Avhose  breath  is  a  blighting  and  fatal  wind, 
and  consequently  to  be  dreaded  and  shunned." 

Komkong.  The  rocks  near  Cathedral  Ptock,  sometimes  called  "  The  Three 
Graces." 

Putjmton.  The  meadow  and  little  stream,  on  the  Coulterville  trail,  first  met 
in  coming  into  the  Valley  ;    means  the  "  bubbling  of  water." 

Keialauwa.     Mountains  west  of  El  Caj)itan. 

Liinrpjotuchoya.     The  Virgin's  Tears  Creek,  meaning,  Pigeon  Creek. 

Totolcvnula.  Usually  spelt  Tutocanula,  the  rock  generally  called  "El  Capitan"; 
the  Indians  say  that  this  name  is  an  imitation  of  the  cry  of  the  crane, 
given  because,  in  winter,  this  bnd  enters  the  Valley  generally  by  flying 
over  that  rock.  How  the  name  El  Capitan,  the  captain,  originated  it  is  not 
easy  to  say ;  perhaps  it  may  have  been  given  with  the  feeling  that  it  was 
the  most  striking  and  impressive  mass  of  rock  in  the  Valley,  and  the  In- 
dians, who  often  have  a  smattering  of  Spanish,  may  have  called  attention 
to  it  as  "  el  Capitan  "  ;  or,  as  we  might  say,  "  the  biggest  fellow  of  them 
all."  The  west  side  of  El  Capitan  is  called  ^' Ajemu,'"  or  manzanita,  that 
being  a  place  where  they  gather  the  berries  of  this  familiar  shrub. 

WawhawJce.  The  Three  Brothers  ;  said  to  mean  "  flxlling  rocks."  The  usual 
name  given  as  that  of  the  Three  Brothers  is  "  Pompompasus,"  equivalent  to 
"  Kompopaise  "  given  by  our  interpreter  as  the  name  of  the  small  rock  a 
little  to  the  west  of  the  Three  Brothers.  It  was  said  to  mean  "  Leaping 
Frog  Rock."  The  Three  Brothers  have  a  vague  resemblance  to  three  frogs 
with  their  heads  turned  in  one  direction,  each  higher  than  the  one  in  front. 
The  common  idea  is,  that  the  Indians  imagined  the  mountains  to  be  play- 
ing "  Leap  Frog."  It  would  remain,  in  that  case,  to  show  that  the  Indians 
practise  that,  to  us,  familiar  game  ;  we  have  never  caught  them  at  it. 


INTRODUCTORY.  17 

Posinaschucka.  Cathedral  Rock,  a  large  "  cache "  of  acorns ;  evidently  from  its 
shape  resembling  that  of  a  large  stack  or  cache  of  acorns,  which  the  Indians 
are  accustomed  to  bnild  in  the  trees,  in  order  to  secm-e  their  stock  of  food 
from  the  depredations  of  wild  animals. 

Loya.     Sentinel  Rock ;    means  an  Indian  camp,  or  signal-station,  probably. 

Ollenya.  Small  stream  between  the  Three  Brothers  and  the  Yosemite  Fall ; 
means  Frog  Brook. 

Schotalloivi.  Indian  Canon ;  the  gulch  between  the  Yosemite  Falls  and  the 
North  Dome. 

Ummo.  Rocks  between  the  Yosemite  Falls  and  Indian  Canon ;  means  "  lost 
arrow." 

Lehamete.  Rocks  next  east  of  Indian  Caiion ;  meaning,  the  place  where  the 
arrow-wood  grows. 

Tokoya.  The  North  Dome ;  meaning,  the  basket,  so  named  on  account  of  its 
roimded  basket  shape. 

Schokoni.  The  Royal  Arches ;  meaning,  the  shade  or  cover  to  an  Indian 
cradle-basket,  the  shape  of  these  rocks  being  somewhat  like  that  of  this 
aboriginal  and  domestic  article. 

Waiya.     Mirror  Lake. 

TesaiyaL     The  Half  Dome,  generally  spelt  Tisayac. 

Waijau.     Mount  Watkins  ;  meaning,  the  Pine  Mountain. 

Patillima.     Glacier  Point. 

Txdulowelmck.  The  canon  of  the  South  Fork  of  the  Merced,  called  the  Illi- 
louette  in  the  California  Geological  Report,  that  being  the  spelling  given  by 
Messrs.  King  and  Gardner,  —  a  good  illustration  of  how  difficult  it  is  to 
catch  the  exact  pronunciation  of  these  names.  Mr.  Hutchings  spells  it 
Tooluluwack. 

Peiwayal:  The  Vernal  Fall ;  meaning,  white  water ;  spelt  Piwyack  by  some. 
Said  also  to  mean  sparkling  water,  or,  more  poetically,  "a  shower  of  crys- 
tals " ;  this  is  the  translation  of  the  word  Piwj^ack  given  by  Mr.  Cunningham, 
from  whom  the  Indian  names  for  objects  in  and  about  the  Valley  have, 
heretofore,  been  mostly  obtained. 

Scholucl:  The  Nevada  Fall,  as  given  by  our  interpreter.  By  others  tliis 
word,  or  Choolook,  as  it  is  often  spelt,  is  used  for  the  Yosemite  Fall, 
while    Yowiye    is    used    for    the    Nevada.      Perhaps    the   word    "  Scholuck " 


18  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

means  simply  a  waterfall.  Yowiye  is  translated  b}^  Mr.  Cunningham  as 
meaning  "  squirming "  or  "  twisted,"  in  reference  to  the  peculiar  shape  of 
the  Nevada  Fall.  The  discrepancies  between  the  statements  of  the  dift'erent 
interpreters  it  is  beyond  our  power  to  reconcile. 

A  comparison  of  the  above  names  with  those  previously  publislicd  shows 
how  difficvdt  it  is  to  get  at  the  real  truth  where  Indian  words  and  their 
pronunciation  are  concerned.  As  will  be  noticed,  the  very  name  of  the 
Valley  itself  is  uncertain,  both  as  to  its  origin  and  orthography.  The  word 
"  Yosemite  "  means  "  a  full-grown  grizzly  bear,"  and  is  not  that  by  which  the 
Valley  is  at  present  designated  by  the  Indians ;  and  how  it  is  that  Ahwahnee, 
or  Auwoni,  the  real  name,  failed  to  be  brought  into  use,  it  is  now  impossible 
to  say.  Nor  is  it  of  much  consequence,  unless  it  be  to  the  special  student 
of  the  aboriginal  Indian  languages.  The  names  given  by  the  early  white 
visitors  to  the  region  have  entirely  replaced  the  native  ones ;  and  they  are,  in 
general,  quite  sufficiently  euphonious  and  proper.  Some  of  them,  perhaps, 
slightly  incline  to  sentimentality ;  for  if  we  recognize  the  appropriateness  of 
the  "  Bridal  Veil "  as  a  designation  for  the  fall  called  Pohono  by  the  Indians, 
we  fail  to  perceive  why  the  "  Virgin's  Tears  "  shoidd  be  flowing  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  Valley.  The  Geological  Survey  has  made  no  changes  in  the 
nomenclature  either  in  or  about  the  Valley.  We  have  adopted  all  the  names 
which  were  in  well-established  use,  and  added  nothing.  Only  in  the  High 
SieiTa,  among  the  numerous  high  peaks  previously  without  appellations,  we 
have  selected  a  few,  to  which  we  have  given  the  names  of  some  of  the  most 
eminent  explorers,  geographers,  and  geologists  of  this  and  other  countries,  as 
will  be  seen  further  on  in  this  volume  or  on  reference  to  the  map.  This  we 
have  done,  not  so  much  from  any  desire  to  impose  designations  of  our  own 
selection  on  the  public,  but  because  the  dominant  peaks,  such  as  are  neces- 
sarily selected  for  topographical  stations,  were  iinnamed,  and  it  woidd  have 
been  excessively  inconvenient  for  us,  in  plotting  our  work  and  describing 
the  country,  to  be  obliged  to  designate  them  by  numbers.  We  claim, 
however,  a  full  and  ample  right,  as  the  first  explorers,  describers,  and  majD- 
pers  of  the  High  Sierra,  to  give  such  names  as  we  please  to  the  pre- 
viously unnamed  peaks  which  we  locate ;  and  the  names  thus  given  by  us 
wiU   be    adopted   by  the    civilized    and  scientific  world  abroad,  however  much 


INTRODUCTORY.  19 

our  disinclination  to  bestow  on  prominent  jDoints  the  names  of  great  politicians 
and  editors  may  be  criticised  in  California.* 

To  return  to  the  subject  of  the  history  of  the  discovery  and  settlement  of 
the  Yosemite  Valley.  The  visit  of  the  soldiers  imder  Captain  Boling  led  to 
no  immediate  results  in  this  direction.  Some  stories  told  by  them  on  their 
return  found  their  way  into  the  newspaj)ers  ;  but  it  was  not  until  four  years 
later  that,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  any  persons  visited  the  Valley  for  the 
purpose  of  examining  its  wonders,  or  as  regidar  pleasure  travellers.  It  is, 
indeed,  surprising  that  so  remarkable  a  locality  shoidd  not  sooner  have  become 
known ;  one  woidd  suppose  that  accounts  of  its  clifts  and  waterfalls  would 
have  spread  at  once  all  over  the  countiy.  Probably  they  did  circulate  about 
California,  and  w^ere  not  believed,  but  set  down  as  "travellers'  stories."  Yet 
these  first  visitors  seem  to  have  been  very  moderate  in  their  statements,  for 
they  spoke  of  the  Yosemite  Fall  as  being  "more  than  a  thousand  feet  high," 
thus  cutting  it  down  to  less  than  one  half  its  real  altitude. f 

Mr.  J.  M.  Hutchings,  having  heard  of  the  wonderful  Valley,  and  being,  in 
1855,  engaged  in  getting  together  materials  to  illustrate  the  scenery  of  Cali- 
fornia, for  the  California  Magazine,  collected  a  party  and  made  the  first 
regular  tourists'  visit  to  the  Yosemite  during  the  sununer  of  that  year.  This 
party  was  followed  by  another  from  Mariposa,  the  same  year,  consisting  of 
sixteen  or  eighteen  persons.  The  next  year  (1856)  the  regular  pleasure  travel 
commenced,  and  the  trail  on  the  IMariposa  side  of  the  Valley,  from  White  and 
Hatch's,  was  opened  by  Mann  Brothers,  at  a  cost  of  about  $  700.  This  trail 
was  afterwards  purchased  for  $  200  by  the  citizens  of  the  county,  and  made 
free  to  the  public. 

*  The  principles  we  have  followed  in  this  Geological  Survey,  in  giving  names  to  prominent  natural 
objects,  and  especially  momitains,  ■which  had  previously  been  imnamed,  are  simple,  and  such  as  must 
commend  themselves  to  all  reasonable  people.  We  have  selected  for  this  purpose  the  names  of  ex- 
plorers, surveyors,  geographers,  geologists,  and  engineers,  and  especially  of  such  as  have  worked  or 
lived  in  the  region  in  which  the  point  to  be  named  was  situated.  When  there  was  no  such  name  to  be 
found,  or  when,  if  found,  it  was  already  in  use  elsewhere,  we  have,  in  a  few  cases,  selected,  honoris 
causa,  the  names  of  veiy  eminent  geographers,  geologists,  or  physicists,  who  have  labored  successfully 
in  general  science,  and  whose  results  have  thus  become  the  property  of  the  world. 

t  An  article  in  the  Country  Gentleman,  for  October  9,  1856,  gives  an  account  of  the  Yosemite 
Valley,  in  which  the  heights  of  several  points  are  given  with  an  approach  to  accuracj"- ;  this  article, 
which  professes  to  be  based  on  one  in  the  California  Christian  Advocate,  states  that  four  gentle- 
men were  living  in  the  Valley  at  that  time,  having  taken  up  "claims"  there. 


20  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

The  first  house  was  built  in  the  Yosemitc  Valley  iu  the  autumn  of  1856, 
opposite  the  Fall  of  that  name  ;  it  is  still  standing,  and  is  usually  known  as 
the  Lower  Hotel.  At  the  locality  a  little  over  half  a  mile  further  up  the 
Valley  a  canvas  house  was  built  by  G.  A.  Hite  in  the  spring  of  1857,  and 
in  the  spring  of  the  next  year  the  present  wooden  house,  now  known  as 
"  Hutchings's  Yosemite  Hotel,"  was  built  by  Hite  and  Beardsley.  They  kept 
it  as  a  public  house  during  that  season,  and  it  afterwards  passed  into  the 
hands  of  Messrs.  Sullivan  and  Cashman  ;  it  was  next  kept,  in  1859 -Gl,  by 
Mr.  Peek,  then  by  Mr.  Longhurst,  and  since  18G4  by  Mr.  Hutchings.  In 
the  spring  of  1857  Cunningham  and  Beardsley  had  a  storehouse  and  shop  just 
above  the  present  Hutchings  Hotel.  The  Lower  Hotel  was  kept  by  John  Reed 
in  1857,  and  by  Mr.  Cunningham  from  1858  to  1861  ;  it  remained  vacant 
for  a  couple  of  years,  and  was  then  taken  by  Mr.  G.  F.  Leidig,  who  has  kejDt 
it   during  the  season  of  travel  for  the  past  three  or  four  years. 

Previous  to  1864,  the  only  actual  settler  and  permanent  resident  in  the 
Valley  was  Mr.  J.  C.  Lamon,  who  took  up  his  lonely  quarters  there  in  1860. 
Many  persons  had  been  there  during  the  summer,  and  numerous  "claims"  had 
been  made,  which  were,  of  coiu-se,  invalid  under  United  States  laws,  as  they 
were  not  accompanied  by  permanent  residence,  neither  had  the  laud  ever  been 
sm-veyed  and  brought  into  market,  so  that  it  was  not  open  to  pre-emiDtion. 

At  the  time  that  the  Governor's  proclamation  was  issued,  taking  possession 
of  the  Valley,  and  appointing  Commissioners  to  protect  and  manage  it,  there 
were  several  residents  and  numerous  claimants  to  various  portions  of  the 
Valley  and  to  "  improvements "  which  had  been  made  there.  These  claim- 
ants the  Commissioners  were  disposed  to  treat,  and  to  recommend  to  be 
treated  by  the  State,  with  all  possible  consideration.  They  went  to  the  extent 
of  their  powers  by  offering  Messrs.  Hutchings  and  Lamon  leases  for  ten  years 
of  the  premises  occupied  by  them,  at  a  nominal  rent.  This  liberal  offer  these 
gentlemen  saw  fit  to  decline,  believing  that  they  coiUd  work  upon  public 
sympathy,  and  in  some  way  influence  the  Legislature  to  grant  them  better 
terms,  or  perhaps  even  to  look  with  favor  on  their  pretensions  to  get  posses- 
sion of  the  Valley  and  hold  it  in  fee  simple.  They  appeared  before  the 
Legislature  of  1867-68,  —  the  next  one  to  that  which  had  accepted  the  Con- 
gi-essional  gi'ant,  —  and  succeeded  in  procuring  the  passage  of  a  bill  giving  them 
each  160  acres  of  land,  and  asking  Congi-ess  to  confirm  this  action.     It  is  now 


INTRODUCTORY.  21 

« 

stated,  however,  that,  by  some  clerical  oversight,  this  bill  did  not  actually 
become  a  law.  Be  that  as  it  may,  thij^  action  of  the  Lcgislatiu'e  of  Califoniia 
came  up  in  Congress  for  indorsement,  and  a  bill  or  resolution  to  that  effect 
did  actually  pass  the  House ;  but,  reaching  the  Senate,  was  unfavorably 
reported  on,  and  left  on  file  for  future  action.  What  this  action  may  be  it 
is,  of  course,  impossible  to  say ;  but  wliat  the  result  will  be,  if"  the  bill  passes, 
it  will  not  be  difficult  to  predict.  The  Yosemite  A'alley,  instead  of  being  held 
by  the  State  for  the  benefit  of  the  people,  and  "  for  jjublic  use,  resort,  and 
pleasm-e,"  as  was  solemnly  jDromised,  will  become  the  proj^erty  of  private 
individuals,  and  will  be  held  and  managed  for  private  benefit  and  not  for  the 
public  good.  As  the  tide  of  travel  in  the  direction  of  this  wonderful  and 
unique  locality  increases,  so  will  the  vexations,  restraints,  and  annoying  charges, 
which  are  so  universal  at  all  places  of  great  resoi-t,  be  multiplied,  and  the 
Yosemite  Valley,  instead  of  being  "a  joy  forever,"  will  become,  like  Niagara 
Falls,  a  gigantic  institution  for  fleecing  the  public.  The  screws  will  be  put 
on  just  as  fast  as  the  public  can  be  educated  into  bearing  the  pressure.  In- 
stead of  having  every  convenience  for  circulation,  in  and  about  the  Valley,  — 
free  trails,  roads,  and  bridges,  with  every  facility  offered  for  the  enjoyment  of 
Nature  in  the  greatest  of  her  works,  unrestrained  except  by  the  requirements 
of  decency  and  order,  —  the  public  will  find,  if  the  ownership  of  the  Valley 
passes  into  private  hands,  that  opportunity  will  be  taken  to  levy  toll  at  every 
point  of  view,  on  every  trail,  on  every  bridge,  and  at  every  turning,  while 
there  will  be  no  inducement  to  do  anything  for  the  public  accommodation, 
except  that  which  may  be  made  immediately  available  as  a  new  means  of 
raising  a  tax  on  the  unfortunate  traveller.  Had  the  liberal  policy  inaugurated 
by  the  Legislature  which  accepted  the  grant  (that  of  186.5 -G6)  been  carried 
out  by  its  successor,  —  a  policy  which  involved  only  a  very  small  expenditure 
of  money,  —  dvu-ing  the  past  season  new  trails  and  bridges  Avould  have  been 
built,  affording  free  access  to  every  point  of  interest,  and  the  present  occu- 
pants of  the  Valley  would  have  been  in  undisturbed  possession  of  their 
premises,  where  they  might  remain  so  long  as  they  were  willing  to  conform 
to  the  few  simple  regulations  of  the  Commissioners,  forbidding  wanton  damage 
to  the  trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers.  Leases,  on  reasonable  terms,  would  have 
been  granted  to  such  respectable  parties  as  might  apply  for  them,  and 
midtiplying  facilities  on  every  side  woidd  meet  the  increase  of  travel. 


22  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

It  has  been  argued  that  the  Valley  is  large,  and  that  the  ceding  of  a 
couple  of  patches  of  only  160  acres  ^each  to  private  parties  will  have  no 
seriously  injurious  consequences,  —  the  hulk  of  the  land  would  still  remain  in 
the  hands  of  the  Commissionei'S,  to  be  managed  for  the  benefit  of  the  public. 
But  there  are  only  a  little  more  than  1,100  acres  of  land  in  the  Vallc}', 
within  the  rocky  talus,  or  dehris  fallen  from  the  walls,  and  of  this  only  a 
small  portion  is  valuable  laud  for  pasturage  and  cultivation,  as  well  as 
desirable  on  account  of  its  convenience  of  situation.  Thus  the  holders  of  320 
acres  of  land  judiciously  selected  would,  in  point  of  fact,  have  almost  a 
monopoly  of  the  Valley,  especially  as  they  would  not^  be  hampered  by  any 
restrictions,  and  would  be  above  all  control  by  the  Commissioners.  But,  more 
than  this,  the  whole  Valley  is  already  claimed,  and  if  two  of  the  claimants 
ai*e  to  have  their  requests  gi-anted,  the  rest  must  be  placed  on  the  same 
footing;  there  woidd  be  neither  justice  nor  reason  in  conceding  IGO  acres 
each  to  Messrs.  Lamon  and  Hutchings,  and  not  doing  as  much  for  others  who 
made  claims  before  either  of  these  gentlemen.  The  whole  Valley  must  be 
inevitably  given  up  to  the  claimants,  if  any  portion  of  it  is  ;  and  the  Com- 
missioners woidd  recommend  that  this  should  be  done,  in  case  Messrs.  Lamon 
and  Hutchings  succeed  in  making  good  their  pretensions.  It  would  be  entirely 
useless  to  attempt  to  exercise  any  useful  control  over  the  premises,  with  so 
large  a  portion  of  them  withdrawn  from  supervision  and  placed  in  charge  of 
irresponsible  persons. 

The  State  of  CaHfornia  has,  through  its  Legislature,  assumed  the  responsi- 
bility and  the  guardianship  of  the  gi'ants  of  the  Valley  and  the  Big  Tree 
Grove  ;  she  has  solemnly  promised  to  hold  them  "  inalienable  for  all  time." 
She  has  no  right  to  attempt  to  withdraw  from  the  responsibility  she  has 
voluntarily  assumed.  The  eqxiitable  claims  of  the  settlers  in  the  Valley  can 
be  abundantly  made  good  by  a  small  amount  of  money,  and  it  is  astonishing 
that  the  great  State  of  California  should  seek  to  avoid  the  performance  of  her 
agreement, — to  repudiate  her  obligations, — merely  to  avoid  the  payment  of  the 
small  sum  which  may  be  equitably  due  the  parties  who  have  been  deprived, 
by  the  joint  action  of  the  State  and  of  Congress,  of  their  power  to  obtain,  at 
some  future  time,  a  right  in  fee  simple  to  the  land  they  occupied.  Legal 
rights  these  parties  have  not ;  the  land  had  never  been  surveyed'  and  opened 
to    pre-emption.     Their    case    is   like    that  of  thousands    of  others    who    have 


IXTKODUCTOEY.  23 

settled  ou  the  p\iblic  land  before  it  was  surveyed,  and  who  have  afterwards 
been  ousted  by  the  General  Government,  when  the  ground  they  occupied  was 
required  for  purposes  of  public  good. 

No :  the  Yosemite  Valley  is  a  unique  and  wondei'ful  locality ;  it  is  an 
exceptional  creation,  and  as  such  has  been  exceptionally  provided  for 
jointly  by  the  Nation  and  the  State,  —  it  has  been  made  a  National  public 
park  and  placed  under  the  charge  of  the  State  of  California.  Let  Californians 
beware  how  they  make  the  name  of  their  State  a  byword  and  reproach  for 
all  time,  by  trying  to  throw  off  and  repudiate  a  noble  task  which  they  under- 
took to  perform,  —  that  of  holding  the  Yosemite  Valley  as  a  place  of  public 
use,  resort,  and  recreation,  inalienable  for  all  time  ! 


24  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 


CHAPTEE    II. 

GENERAL. 

That  portion  of  the  North  American  Continent  which  lies  within  the 
borders  of  the  United  States  (leaving  out  of  consideration  the  remote  and 
isolated  region  now  known  as  Alaska)  presents  to  the  traveller  crossing  it 
from  east  to  west,  in  the  pathway  along  which  civilization  has  advanced, 
three  well-marked  grand  divisions,  which  may  be  called  the  Eastern,  Middle, 
and  Western.  On  the  East,  we  have  the  broad  belt  of  the  Appalachian  chain 
of  mountains,  detemiining  the  general  direction  of  the  coast  line,  made  up  of 
a  series  of  closely  compacted  wrinkles  of  the  earth's  crust,  of  no  gi-eat  eleva- 
tion, never  in  its  highest  peaks  quite  reaching  7,000  feet,  very  uniform  in 
direction  and  elevation  over  long  distances,  densely  wooded,  and  offering  in 
its  fertile  valleys  and  on  its  gently  rising  slopes  every  possible  advantage  of 
soil,  forest,  and  water  to  benefit  the  settler.  This  series  of  ranges  does  not, 
however,  rise  at  once  from  the  edge  of  the  Atlantic,  but  is  prepared  for,  as 
it  were,  by  a  plain  gently  sloping  upwards  as  we  go  west,  and  forming  what 
is  called  the  Atlantic  Seaboard.  This  plain  is  about  fifty  miles  wide  in  New 
England,  where  it  is  not  so  strongly  marked  a  featm-e  as  farther  south,  in 
which  direction  it  gains  in  width,  extending  as  much  as  two  hundred  miles 
back  from  the  sea  in  North  and  South  Carolina.  Leaving  the  seaboard,  we 
rise  among  the  Appalachian  ranges,  which  form  a  belt  of  mountains  averaging, 
perhaps,  a  himdred  miles  in  width.  Crossing  this  belt,  and  the  broken  foot- 
hill country  which  borders  it  on  the  west,  forming  the  eastern  side  of  Ohio, 
Kentucky,  and  Tennessee,  we  come  in  our  western  progress  to  the  great 
central  valley  of  the  Continent,  —  the  region  drained'  by  the  Mississippi  and 
the  Missouri  and  their  tributaries.  At  Pittsburg,  the  head  of  the  Ohio 
proijer,  we  are  at  an  elevation  of  G99  feet  above  the  sea-level ;  descending  this 
river,  we  find  ourselves,  at  its  mouth  and  junction  with  the  Mississippi,  at 
275  feet  above    the  Gidf  of  Mexico,  the  average  fall  of  the    last-named  river 


GENERAL.  25 

in  that  part  of  its  course  from  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  to  the  Gulf  being  only 
three  inches  per  mile.  In  following  down  the  Ohio  we  are  skirting  the 
southern  border  of  the  region  of  prairies,  the  garden  of  the  Continent,  of 
which  nearly  the  whole  of  Illinois  may  be  taken  as  the  type.  Crossing  the 
Mississippi,  and  still  pm-suing  our  westward  course,  we  follow  up  the  Missouri 
to  the  western  line  of  the  State  of  the  same  name,  where  the  river  bends  to 
the  north  and  leaves  us  the  choice,  if  we  wish  to  keep  on  directly  west,  of 
one  of  its  gi'eat  branches  coming  in  from  that  direction,  —  the  Platte  and  the 
Kansas.  Up  either  of  these  we  may  travel  for  more  than  500  miles,  gradu- 
ally and  imperceptibly  rising,  an  unbroken  horizon  in  the  distance,  and  a  vast 
plain  on  either  hand,  absolutely  destitute  of  trees,  except  along  the  banks 
of  the  streams,  but  abounding  in  nutritious  grasses,  the  food  of  herds  of 
buffaloes,  once  almost  countless  in  numbers,  but  now  rajDidly  disappearing 
before  the  rifle  and  the  rail.  These  broad,  almost  endless  seas  of  grazing-land 
are  "the  plains,"  not  at  all  to  be  confounded  with  the  "prairies."  The  plains 
form  the  western  side  of  the  gi'eat  central  valley,  a  region  where,  from  clima- 
tological  causes  which  cannot  here  be  set  forth,  there  is  a  great  scarcity  of 
rain,  the  amount  of  the  annual  precipitation  diminishing  rapidly  as  we  go 
westward  from  the  Mississippi  River,  until,  between  the  100th  and  105th  me- 
ridians it  is  no  more  than  fifteen  inches,  or  only  one  third  of  what  it  is  near 
the  meridian  of  90°,  in  the  centre  of  the  great  valley. 

The  edge  of  the  gi-eat  tangle  of  mountains  which  makes  up  the  western 
third  of  our  territory  is  encountered  by  the  traveller  coming  from  the  east, 
after  passing  over  a  thousand  miles  in  width  of  tlie  central  valley,  in  longi- 
tude 103°,  if  he  strikes  the  Black  Hills,  in  latitude  44°;  or  in  105°,  if  he 
follows  up  the  Platte  and  finds  himself  at  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
proper.  From  here  west  he  will  thread  his  way  through  narrow  and  intricate 
defiles,  wind  around  or  cross  over  innmnerable  spurs  and  ridges,  traverse 
narrow  valleys  and  occasional  broad  plains,  the  former  sometimes  green  and 
attractive,  the  latter  always  arid  and  repulsive  to  the  last  degi-ee ;  he  will 
never  descend  below  4,000  feet  above  the  sea-level,  and  will  never  be  out  of 
sight  of  mountains  ;  these  will  always  environ  him,  with  thinly  w^ooded  ^flanks, 
and  sterile  and  craggy  summits,  often  glistening  with  gi-eat  patches  of  snow, 
which  gi'adually  lessen  as  the  summer  advances.  In  the  distance  these  moim- 
tain  ranges,  behind  their  atmosf)here  of  purple  haze,  will  seem  massive  and 
4 


26  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

imiform  in  character ;  as  he  approaches  each  one,  he  will  find  it  preseuting 
some  new  charm  of  hidden  A'alley  or  canon  deeply  countersunk  into  the 
mountain  side.  As  he  rises  still  higher,  lie  will  quench  his  thirst  at  the 
refreshing  spring  of  pure  water  fed  by  the  melting  snow  above,  while  the 
grandem'  of  the  rocky  masses,  the  purity  of  the  air,  the  solitariness  and 
the  almost  infinite  extent  of  the  panorama  opened  before  him,  when  he  fairly 
reaches  the  sunnnit,  will  leave  iipon  his  mind  an  ineffaceable  impression  of 
the  peculiar  featvu-es  of  om-  western  mountain  scenery.  It  is  through  and 
over  these  mountain  ranges,  passing  north  of  Salt  Lake,  and  striking  the 
Humboldt  Kiver,  Avhich  traverses  the  western  side  of  the  Great  Basin  at 
right-angles  to  the  general  direction  of  the  chain,  that  the  Pacific  Kaih'oad 
threads  its  way  across  the  Continent. 

This  great  mass  of  mountains,  which  fills  the  space  between  the  lOotli 
meridian  and  the  Pacific  Ocean  so  completely  that  it  must  be  considered  as  a 
geogi'aphical  unit,  demands  a  distinct  name  by  which  it  may  be  designated  as 
a  whole,  as  the  geographer  has  every  day  occasion  to  do.  The  term  "  Kocky 
Mountains  "  has  long  been  in  use  for  a  portion  of  its  eastern  border,  and  the 
"  Sierra  Nevada  "  and  "  Cascade  Range  "  are  equally  well  known  appellations 
of  the  western  edge  of  the  great  mass ;  while  the  almost  innumerable  broken 
and  partially,  but  never  quite,  detached  masses  which  fill  up  the  interior 
receive  their  distinctive  names  as  fast  as  they  become  known  to  the  explorer 
or  the  settler.  There  is  no  name  for  the  whole  series  of  ranges,  however ; 
although  in  former  days  the  term  Rocky  Mountains  was  more  generally  used 
than  any  other  ;  but  in  the  progress  of  exploration  and  geograjihical  discovery 
this  designation  has  become  fully  fixed  on  the  gi-oup  of  ranges  which  sur- 
rounds the  Parks  in  Colorado,  Northern  New  Mexico,  and  AVyoming.  Taken 
collectively,  all  the  mountains  bordering  on  the  Pacific  coast  of  America,  from 
Cape  Horn  to  the  North  Polar  Sea,  have  been  and  still  are  by  some  geogra- 
phers designated  as  ''The  Cordilleras;'*  a  Spanish  word  signifying  chains  of 
mountains.  The  South  American  portion  of  the  series  was  distinguished  as 
the  Cordilleras  of  the  Andes,  those  of  North  America  having  no  special 
designatory  word  corresponding  to  Andes,  but  being  somewhat  vaguely  known 
as  the  Cordilleras  of   ^lexico    or    of   North  America.     As,  in    the    progress    of 

*  See  Humboldt's  "  Aspects  of  Nature,"  English  Edition,  Vol.  I.  p.  56. 


GENERAL.  27 

tinie,  the  name  Ancles  has  become  firmly  established  in  use  as  a  general  one 
for  all  the  South  American  chains  bordering  the  Pacific,  without  the  additional 
word  Cordilleras,  I  propose  to  use  this  exclusively  for  the  North  American 
chains,  and,  hereafter,  to  designate  the  great  mass  of  mountains  occupying  the 
western  side  of  the  American  Continent  as  The  Cordilleras,  and  trust  that 
other  geographers  will  see  the  propriety  of  the  suggestion,  and  concur  with  me 
in  adopting  it.  There  is  a  greater  propriety  in  using  the  word  Cordilleras 
for  the  mass  of  North  American  mountains  than  for  those  of  South  America, 
for  the  latter  are  far  more  simple  in  their  structure,  being  made  up  of  a  few 
great  ranges,  and  not  of  a  great  number  of  smaller  ones  (Cordilleras)  as  on 
the  noi'thcrn  division  of  the  Continent. 

The  great  region  of  the  Cordilleras  was  pretty  much  a  terra  incognita  only 
a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  The  explorations  of  Bonneville  (1832 -3G)  shed 
the  first  light  on  the  region  known  as  the  Great  Basin,  and  those  of  Fremont, 
a  few  years  later  (1842-45),  made  that  generally  known  which  had  previously 
only  been  smriiised,  and  laid  a  foundation,  by  an  approximate  detennination 
of  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  a  considerable  number  of  important  points, 
for  a  map  of  the  central  portion  of  the  Cordilleras.  Lewis  and  Clarke  had 
previously  (1805  -  7)  made  known  the  outlines  of  the  geography  of  the 
country  about  the  Upper  Missouri  and  the  Columbia  Rivers,  at  the  same  time 
that  Pike  was  exploring  the  head  of  the  Arkansas  River, 

But  little  progress  was  made,  however,  towards  anything  like  a  reliable  or 
complete  map  of  the  region  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  until  after  the 
annexation  of  California  to  the  United  States  and  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
that  region  had  given  so  prodigiovis  an  impetus  to  emigration  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  led  to  a  universal  desire  for  railroad  communication  across  the 
Continent,  in  place  of  the  long  and  dangerous  route  by  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  or  the  tedious  ride  over  the  plains.  The  work  of  exploring  a  route 
for  a  Pacific  railroad  along  several  parallels  of  latitude,  between  Oregon  on 
the  north  and  Arizona  on  the  south,  was  begun  in  1853,  and  continued 
through  that  and  the  succeeding  year  by  a  considerable  number  of  surveying 
parties,  in  charge  of  United  States  Engineer  officers.  The  geographical  results 
of  these  expeditions,  with  all  the  other  material  of  this  kind  which  could  be 
collected  from  every  possible  source,  Avere  compiled  into  one  general  map  by 
the  United  States  Engineer  Bm*eau,  under    the    direction    of   Lieutenant  (now 


28  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

General)  Warvcn.  This  map,  wliich  has  been  altci-ed  and  corrected  so  many 
times  at  the  Engineer  Office,  since  its  first  appearance,  in  1857,  as  to  have 
become  ahnost  a  new  one,  is  the  principal  sonrce  from  which  compilers  and 
publishers  draw  their  material  for  maps  of  the  Pacific  States  and  Territories  ; 
but  the  study  of  it,  by  those  familiar  with  the  topogi'aphy  of  portions  of  tlie 
region  which  it  covers,  will  not  fail  to  convince  such  persons  that  it  can  only 
be  considered  as  a  first  rough  sketch,  nearly  the  whole  of  whicli  nnist  eventu- 
ally give  way  to  more  reliable  and  acc\u-ate  materials.  The  topographical 
work  of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad,  done  for  the  purpose  of  getting  informa- 
tion for  definitely  locating  its  road,  and  the  labors  of  the  California  Geological 
Survev,  have  already  brought  together  a  large  amount  of  valuable  matei-ial, 
which  can  be  made  available  for  improving  the  official  map  of  the  Engineer 
Bureau,  and  the  residts  of  the  expedition  now  in  the  field  under  the  direction 
of  Mr.  Clarence  King  will  add  still  further  of  reliable  information  in  regard 
to  the  geography  of  a  considerable  portion  of  the  region  in  question. 

The  necessity  of  a  good  map  of  the  Cordilleras  will  become  more  and  more 
evident  after  the  completion  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  which  event  will,  no  doubt, 
be  followed  by  a  great  increase  of  travel,  and  especially  of  pleasure-travel, 
across  the  Continent.  Four  or  five  days  from  New  York,  or  three  from 
Chicago,  will  bring  travellers  into  the  high  mountain  region ;  and  thousands 
who  have  already  visited  the  Alps  will  seek  for  new  impressions,  and  a  new 
revelation  of  natm-e  among  the  Cordilleras,  rather  than  go  over  the  -old 
European  gi'ound  a  second  or  third  time.  Many  English  travellers  for  pleas- 
ure, among  whom  some,  no  doubt,  of  the  renowned  climbers  of  the  Alpine 
Club  will  be  found,  will  try  their  wind  and  muscle  in  a  new  field,  and  find 
health  and  excitement  in  climbing  peaks  which  are  yet  unsealed,  and  in 
exploring  regions  where  no  foot  of  white  man  has  ever  been  set.  The  inhabi- 
tants of  the  Mississippi  Valley  will  seek  refuge  from  the  intense  heat  of 
summer  among  the  lofty  ranges  of  the  no  longer  remote  Pacific  States  ;  the 
invalid  from  the  Eastern  slope  will  exchange  the  cold,  damp  east  wind  for  the- 
invigorating  mountain  breeze,  and  will  obtain  a  new  lease  of  life  while 
acquiring  a  knowledge  of  Nature's  sublimest  handiwork.  For  re-establishing  the 
worn-out  constitution,  bracing  up  the  shattered  nerves,  and  bringing  relief  to 
the  wearied  soul,  there  is  no  panacea  equal  to  mountain  life  and  mountain 
scenery,  taken  in  large  doses,  on  the  spot ;    and    it   is   pleasant   to  think  that 


GENERAL.  29 

we  shall  have  the  medicine  at  our  own  door  hereafter,  and  not  lie  obliged  to 
cross  the  water  in  search  of  it.  Besides,  as  a  means  of  mental  development, 
there  is  nothing  which  will  compai'e  with  the  study  of  Natiu'e  as  mani- 
fested in  her  mountain  handiwork.  Nothing  so  refines  the  ideas,  purifies  the 
heart,  and  exalts  the  imagination  of  the  dweller  on  the  plains,  as  an  occa- 
sional visit  to  the  mountains.  It  is  not  good  to  dwell  alwa^'s  among  them, 
for  "familiarity  breeds  contempt."  The  greatest  peoples  have  not  been  those 
who  lived  on  the  mountains,  bvit  near  them.  One  must  carry  something  of 
culture  to  them,  to  receive  all  the   benefits  they  can  bestow  in  return. 

But  it  is  especially  to  California  mountains  and  mountain  scenery  that  this 
volume  is  dedicated,  and  to  a  small  portion  of  these  that  it  is  to  be  more 
exclusively  devoted,  so  that  we  must  not  tarry  longer  on  the  way  to  them. 

Every  one,  be  his  acquaintance  with  the  geography  of  our  western  border 
ever  so  slight,  has  at  least  some  indistinct  idea  of  the  existence  in  California 
of  two  great  masses  of  moiuitains,  one  called  the  Coast  Ranges,  the  other  the 
Sierra  Nevada.  The  traveller,  passing  up  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento  or  the 
San  Joaquin,  observes  at  a  distance  of  twenty  or  thirty  miles,  on  either  hand, 
a  continuous  wall  of  mountains,  which  may  appear  in  the  dim  distance,  to 
the  inexperienced  eye,  as  a  simple  narrow  uplift ;  both  of  these  aj^imrent  walls 
are,  in  reality,  broad  belts  of  elevated  ranges,  the  one  averaging  forty  the 
other  seventy  miles  in  width,  of  which  the  detailed  structure  is  exceedingly 
complicated,  and  whose  grand  dimensions  can  only  be  appreciated  by  those 
who  have  peneti'ated  to  their  deepest  recesses.  On  the  east,  we  have  the 
Sierra  Nevada  ;  on  the  west,  the  Coast  Ranges,  —  the  one  not  inaptly  to  be 
parallelized,  in  general  extent  and  average  elevation,  with  the  Alps ;  the  other 
but  little  inferior,  in  the  same  respects,  to  the  Appalachian  chain,  —  two 
grand  features  of  the  earth's  surface  which  have  for  so  many  years  occujiied 
the  attention  of  scientific  observers  and  lovers  of  natural  sceneiy.  Of  the 
eastern  series  of  ranges,  the  most  distant  and  loftiest  elevations  are  never 
entirely  bare  of  snow, '  and  for  a  large  portion  of  the  year  are  extensively 
covered  with  it ;  the  western  ones,  on  the  other  hand,  in  the  central  portion 
of  the  State  at  least,  have  their  highest  peaks  whitened  for  a  few  days  onh', 
during  the  coldest  and  stormiest  winters.  Hence  the  eastern  heights  were, 
long  since,  known  to  the  Spaniards  as  the  "  Sierra  Nevada,"  or  "  Snowy 
Range,"  Sierra  being  the  almost  exact  equivalent  of  our  word  range,  or  moun- 


30  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

tain  chain.  The  group  of  mountains  on  the  western  side  and  nearer  the 
ocean  naturall}-  received  tlie  designation  of  "  Coast  Ranges  "  or  Coast  Mountains, 
the  many  subordinate  ranges  of  which  it  is  made  up  having  received  from 
the  early  Mexican-Spanish  settlers  the  names  of  dilierent  saints,  nearly 
exhausting  the  calendar. 

The  coast  line  of  California,  extending  over  ten  degi'ees  of  latitude,  or  from 
near  32°  to  42°,  has  a  regular  northwestern  trend  between  the  parallels  of  35° 
and  40°,  and  the  same  regularity  is  found  rej^eated  in  the  inteiior  features 
of  the  country  between  the  same  parallels.  And,  in  order  to  bring  vividly 
before  the  mind  the  grand  simj)licity  of  the  topographical  features  of  this 
part  of  the  State,  we  may  draw  on  the  map  five  equidistant  parallel  lines, 
having  a  direction  of  N.  31°  W.,  and  55  miles  apart.  Let  the  middle  one  of 
these  be  drawn  at  the  western  base  of  the  Sieira  Nevada  ;  it  will  touch  the 
edge  of  the  foot-hills  all  along  from  Visalia  to  Red  Bluff,  a  distance  of  nearly 
400  miles.  The  first  parallel  east  of  this,  drawn  at  55  miles'  'distance,  will 
pass  through,  or  very  near,  the  highest  points  of  the  Sieira  Nevada  from  i\Iount 
Shasta  on  the  north  to  Mount  Whitney  on  the  south.  This  line,  running 
through  the  dominating  peaks  of  the  Sierra,  and  which  is  a  very  nearly 
straight  one  for  500  miles  in  length,  we  have  called,  in  the  California  Geolog- 
ical Report,  the  main  axial  line  of  the  State.  Again,  parallel  to  this  on  the 
east  and  at  about  the  same  constant  distance  of  55  miles  from  the  summit 
of  the  Sierra,  we  find  our  line  crossing  a  series  of  depressions,  mostly  occupied 
by  lakes,  which  we  may  consider  as  representing  the  eastern  base  of  the 
range.  West  of  the  gi'eat  central  valley,  the  fourth  of  ou.r  imaginary  lines 
touches  the  eastern  base  of  the  Coast  Ranges,  and  the  fifth  will  approximately 
indicate  the  position  of  the  edge  of  the  Pacific,  which  is,  of  com-se,  the 
western  base  of  the  same  mountains. 

This  arrangement  of  lines  indicates  a  division  of  the  central  portion  of  the 
State  into  four  belts  of  nearly  equal  width,  and  which  are  indeed  the  best 
recognized  features  of  its  geography ;  they  are  known  to  all,  mentioning  them 
in  their  order  from  east  to  west,  as  the  Eastern  Slope,  the  Sierra,  the  Great 
Valley  (or  the  Valley  of  the  Sacramento  and  the  San  Joaquin,)  and  the  Coast 
Ranges.  The  indicated  airangement  holds  good  for  a  distance  of  400  miles 
through  the  centre  of  the  State,  and  throiigh  that  portion  of  California  which 
is  by  far  the  most  important,  both  from  an  agiicultural  and  mining  point  of 


GENEEAL.  31 

view.  Central  California,  as  this  division  may  properly  be  called,  does  not 
embrace  over  one  third  of  the  area  of  the  State ;  but  it  holds  at  least  95  per 
cent  of  its  population.  The  regions  or  divisions  on  each  side  of  this  central 
one  are  extremely  mountainous  and  thinly  inhabited.  The  southern  portion  is 
traversed  by  numerous  broken  ranges  as  yet  but  little  explored,  but  charac- 
terized by  extreme  sterility,  owing  to  the  want  of  water,  so  that  a  large  part 
can  only  be  considered  as  an  unmitigated  desert.  A  naiTow  belt  along  the 
ocean,  however,  is  more  favored  by  climatic  causes,  and  contains  some  tracts 
which  are  of  unrivalled  beauty  and  fertility.  The  northern  division,  again,  is 
even  more  mountainous  than  the  southern,  portions  of  it  being  almost  inac- 
cessible. Along  the  coast  and  in  much  of  the  interior  it  is  very  heavily 
timbered ;  while,  towards  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  State,  it  begins  to 
exhibit  the  dryness  and  sterility  characteristic  of  the  Great  Basin.  It  is  a 
wild,  rough  region  ;  and  no  small  portion  of  it  is  pretty  much  given  up  to 
its  aboriginal  inhabitants,  who  have  thus  far  held  their  own  against  the 
encroachments  of  the  whites  with  pertinacity  and  no  little  success. 

The  Coast  Ranges  inosculate  with  the  Sierra  Nevada  both  north  and  south. 
In  the  neighborhood  of  the  Tejon  Pass,  which  is  in  about  latitude  35°,  the 
ridges  of  the  two  systems  become  topographically  undistinguishable  from  each 
other  ;  and  it  was  only  by  careful  examination  of  the  position  of  the  strata 
that  we  coidd  discover  where  one  system  began  and  the  other  ended.  So  too,  on 
the  north,  above  Shasta  City  (latitude  40°  35'),  the  ranges  close  in  on  all  sides, 
and  to  the  traveller  threading  the  innumerable  canons,  there  seems  to  be  no 
clew  to  the  labyrinth  of  chains,  and  no  possibility  of  preserving  the  distinction 
between  Coast  Range  and  Sierra.  But  passing  north  into  Oregon,  we  come, 
in  latitude  44°,  to  the  Willamette  Valley,  which  here  foi-ms  as  marked  a 
separation  between  the  two  systems  of  mountains  as  do  the  Sacramento  or 
San  Joaquin  in  California.  Geologically,  the  Coast  Ranges  are  made  up  of 
newer  formations  than  the  Sierra,  and  they  have  been  subjected  to  great 
disturbances  up  to"  a  very  recent  (geological)  period.  There  are  no  rocks  in 
the  Coast  Ranges  older  than  the  Cretaceous ;  strata  of  this  and  the  Tertiary 
age  making  up  nearly  their  whole  body,  with  some  masses  of  volcanic  and 
granitic  materials,  neither,  however,  forming  anything  like  a  central  nucleus 
or  core. 

The  Coast  Ranges    do    not    exhibit    any  very  lofty  dominating    peaks.     The 


32  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

highest  i^oint  in  siglit  from  8:111  Francisco  is  Monnt  Hamilton,  about  fifteen 
miles  east  of  San  Jose ;  this  is  4,440  feet  high,  or  just  10,000  feet  less  than 
Mount  Shasta.  Still  it  docs  not  rise  conspicuously  above  the  range  in  its 
vicinity,  and  it  needs  a  sharp  eye  to  pick  it  out  at  a  little  distance.  Monte 
Diablo,  although  584  feet  lower  (its  elevation  being  3,856  feet)  is  a  much 
more  conspicuous  object,  since  it  is  quite  isolated  on  the  north  side,  owing  to 
the  great  In-eak  in  the  nuigo,  which  extends  from  the  Golden  Gate  entirely 
across  the  chain.  Indeed,  the  pecidiar  position  of  this  mountain  makes  its 
gi-aceful,  doiible-pointcd  summit  a  ver}"  conspicuous  landmark  over  a  large 
portion  of  the  State.  North  and  south  of  the  central  portion,  the  Coast 
Ranges  rise  higher  as  they  approach  the  Sierra  in  each  direction,  and  the 
highest  points  attain  as  much  as  8,000  feet. 

The  scenery  of  the  Coast  Eanges  is  rarely  more  than  picturesque,  but 
alwaj'S  pecxdiar,  especially  to  those  coming  from  the  East.  It  is  not  so  much 
the  summits  or  ridges,  as  the  valleys  which  nestle  between  them,  and  the 
remarkable  vegetation  of  both  valleys  and  slopes,  which  give  character  to  the 
landscape.  Besides,  we  must  allow  its  share  in  producing  the  general  impres- 
sion to  the  peculiar  erosion  of  the  mountain  masses,  made  conspicuous  by  the 
absence  of  forest  vegetation,  and,  especially,  to  the  j^eculiar  atmosphere,  which 
invests  them  with  an  indescribable  charm. 

The  vegetation  of  these  valleys  and  ranges  is  not  remarkable  for  varietv^, 
for  the  number  of  forest  trees  exhibited  is  small ;  it  is  rather  the  distribution 
of  the  trees  which  makes  them  impressive.  These  are  the  most  park-like 
valleys  in  the  world.  By  far  the  largest  number  of  trees  in  these  valleys  are 
oaks,  and  they  grow,  not  uniformly  distributed  over  the  surface,  but  in  grace- 
ful clumps,  just  as  if  arranged  by  the  rQost  skilfid  landscape  gardener.  The 
burr  oak  {Quercus  lohata),  is  the  one  which  gives,  in  the  central  Californian 
Valley,  the  most  character  to  the  landscape  ;  it  gi'ows  to  a  great  size,  and  has 
the  peculiar,  gracefully-drooping  branches  of  the  American  elm ;  some  of  the 
noblest  specimens  of  it  are  to  be  found  in  Napa  Valley.  Other  conspicuous 
oaks  are  the  live  oak  [Q.  acirifolia),  a  puzzle  to  botanists  from  the  varialoility 
of  its  foliage,  the  white  [Q.  Garrijana),  the  black  {Q.  Sonomensis)  and  the 
chestnut  [Q.  densifiora). 

As  we  rise  above  the  valle3-s,  and  especially  in  the  vicinity  of  the  ocean, 
and  in  the  deep  shaded  caiions  which  intersect  the  mountains,  and  where  the 


GENERAL.  33 

moisture  brought  by  the  winds  from  the  sea  is  not  too  rapidly  evaporated,  we 
find  a  more  considerable  growth  of  forest-trees  in  the  Coast  llanges,  and 
especially  as  we  proceed  towards  the  northwest.  Pines  and  oaks,  however, 
everywhere  greatly  predominate.  Of  the  pines,  Pinus  Coulteri  is  remarkable 
as  having  the  largest  and  most  beautiful  cones  of  all  the  pines ;  P.  Sahmiana, 
the  digger  pine,  or  silver  pine,  a  very  characteristic  tree  of  the  foot-hills, 
especially  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  up  to  2,000  feet  elevation,  and  also  on  the 
dry  southerly  hillsides  of  the  Coast  Ranges ;  P.  iusigiiis,  the  well-known 
ornamental  "  Monterey  pine,"  quite  limited  in  its  distribution  to  some  thou- 
sands of  acres  about  Monterey  and  Carmelo ;  P.  muricata  is  another  Coast 
Range  species,  and  P.  ponderosa  (the  yellow  pine)  and  P.  Lamhertiana  (the 
sugar  pine)  are  found  in  both  Sieira  and  Coast  Ranges.  The  redwood 
(^Sequoia  sempervirens)  is  also  one  of  the  grand  characteristic  trees  of  the  Cali- 
fornian  Coast  Ranges,  to  which  it  is  exclusively  confined ;  with  it  gi'ows 
frequently  the  well-known  Douglas  fir  {Abies  Douglasii).  Besides  these  there 
are  the  lam-el  {Tetr-anthera  Calif  arnica),  of  which  the  wood  is  now  coming 
into  use  for  ornamental  cabinet  work ;  the  madrona,*  a  very  characteristic  and 
beautiful  tree  with  its  red  bark  and  glossy  leaves.  The  Monterey  cypress 
{Cupressus  viacrocarpya)  is  another  magnificent  tree,  greatly  resembling  the 
cedar  of  Lebanon ;  but  strictly  confined  to  one  locality  at  Cypress  Point, 
near  Monterey.  Of  the  shrubby  undergrowth,  the  chamiso  (Adenostema 
fasiculata),  the  manzanita  {Arctostaphylos  glauca),  and  different  species  of  the 
Ceanothus,  called  "  California  lilac "  by  settlers  from  the  Eastern  States,  on 
account  of  the  resemblance  of  its  perfume  to  that  of  the  Eastern  lilac,  are  the 
most  prominent.  These  shrubs,  separate  or  mingled  together  and  associated 
with  a  variety  of  shrubby  oaks,  each  furnished  with  as  many  thorns  as  there 
are  points  to  leaves  or  branches,  make  Avhat  is  universally  known  in  Cali- 
fornia as  "  chaparral "  ;  and  large  regions,  especially  near  the  summits  of  the 
mountains  in  the  Coast  Ranges,  are  often  densely  covered  with  this  abomi- 
nable undergrowth,  utterly  preventing  free  circulation,  and  rendering  parts  of 
the  State  qviite  inaccessible,  —  as,  for  instance,  the  mountains  along  the  coast 
south  of  Monterey  for  a  distance  of  a  hundred  miles,  into  whose  recesses  not 
even  the  explorer  or  the  hunter  has  ever  penetrated. 

*  Properly  the  "  mudrofio,"  but  everj-where  called  as  wTitten  above. 
5 


34  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK, 

There  fire  many  points  of  interest  in  the  Coast  Ranges  -which  the  tourist 
may  visit;  among  them  the  Geysers,  Clear  and  Borax  Lakes,  the  New  Ahna- 
den  Mines,  and,  in  general,  all  the  valleys  which  connect  with  the  Bay  of 
Sau  Francisco  or  arc  adjacent  to  it.*  One  gets  a  fine  idea  of  the  coast 
mountains  and  valleys  by  riding  over  the  Santa  Cruz  Range  to  the  town  of 
that  name ;  and  a  trip  to  the  Geysers,  coupled  with  the  ascent  of  Sulphur  (or 
Geyser)  Peak,  —  a  very  easy  climb  from  the  stage  road,  —  will  show  the  trav- 
eller some  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the  lower  Californian  ranges. 

The  most  interesting  short  excursion,  however,  which  can  be  made  from  San 
Francisco  is  the  ascent  of  Monte  Diablo,  3,856  feet  high,  and  distant  from 
the  city,  in  a  north-northeast  direction,  twentj'-eight  miles.  The  route  to  the 
foot  of  the  mountain,  which  is  usually  ascended  from  the  north  side,  is  either 
by  carriage  or  jDublic  conveyance  from  Oakland,  by  Walnut  Creek  and  San 
Ramon  Valley,  to  Claj-ton,  at  the  base  of  the  mountain ;  or,  else,  by  steamboat 
to  Benicia,  ferry  to  Martinez,  and  carriage  or  stage  to  Clayton,  via  Pacheco. 
In  either  case  Clayton  is  the  point  from  which  the  ascent  may  be  made,  the 
distance  to  the  summit  being  about  six  miles,  and  the  excm-sion  from  Clayton 
and  back  being  easily  made,  on  foot  or  horseback,  in  a  day,  with  time  in  the 
afternoon,  if  one  should  desire  it,  to  return  to  Martinez  the  same  night,  f 
From  the  summit  the  view  is  panoramic,  and  perhaps  unsurpassed  in  extent. 
Owing  to  the  peculiar  distribution  of  the  mountain  ranges  of  Califoraia,  and 
the  position  of  Monte  Diablo  in  the  centre  of  a  great  elliptic  basin,  the  eye 
has  full  sweep  over  the  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  to  its  crest,  from  Lassen's 
Peak  on  the  north  to  Mount  Whitney  on  the  south,  a  distance  of  fully  325  miles. 
It  is  only  in  the  clearest  weather  that  the  details  of  the  "  Snowy  Range "  can 
be  made  out ;  but  the  nearer  masses  of  the  Coast  Ranges,  with  their  innumerable 
waves  of  mountains  and  wavelets  of  spurs,  are  visible,  from  Mount  Hamilton  and 
Mount  Oso  on  the  south  to  Mount  Helena  on  the  north.  The  great  interior 
valley  of  California  —  the  plains  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  —  are  spread 
out  under  the  observer's  feet  like  a  map,  and  they  seem  illimitable  in  extent. 

*  See  "  Map  of  the  Vicinity  of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,"  published  by  the  California  Geological 
Survey,  from  which,  at  a  glance,  a  better  idea  of  the  topography  of  the  region  may  be  obtained  than 
could  be  given  in  a  whole  chapter  of  verbal  description. 

t  There  should  be  a  good  hotel  at  Clayton;  if  there  were,  no  doubt  pleasure  travel  to  the 
mountain  would  be  much  increased. 


GENERAL.  35 

The  whole  area  thus  embraced  within  the  field  of  vision,  as  limited  by  the 
extreme  points  in  the  distance,  is  little  less  than  40,000  square  miles,  or 
almost  as  large  as  the  whole  State  of  New  York.  Mount  Hamilton,  fifteen 
miles  east  of  San  Jose,  also  commands  a  grand  view,  exclusively  of  the  Coast 
Ranges  ;  parties  making  a  visit  to  this  mountain,  however,  should  be  prepared 
to  camp  at  its  base,  where  there  are  all  possible  facilities  of  wood  and  water. 
The  excursion  from  San  Jose  to  the  summit  and  back  was  made  by  our 
party  in  one  day ;  but  it  is  much  better  to  take  two  for  the  trip,  and  it 
would  not  be  easy  to  find  a  pleasanter  camping-ground  than  presents  itself 
on  the  banks  of  the  Arroyo  Hondo  at  the  base  of  the  mountain. 

What  gives  its  peculiar  character  to  the  Coast  Range  scenery  is,  the 
delicate  and  beautiful  carving  of  their  masses  by  the  aqueous  erosion  of 
the  soft  material  of  which  they  are  composed,  and  which  is  made  conspicuous 
by  the  general  absence  of  forest  and  shrubby  vegetation,  except  in  the 
cailons  and  along  the  crests  of  the  ranges.  The  bareness  of  the  slopes  gives 
full  play  to  the  effects  of  light  and  shade  caused  by  the  varying  and  intri- 
cate contour  of  the  surface.  In  the  early  spring  these  slopes  are  of  the  most 
vivid  green,  the  awakening  to  life  of  the  vegetation  of  this  region  beginning 
just  when  the  hills  and  valleys  of  the  Eastern  States  are  most  deeply 
covered  by  snow.  Spring  here,  in  fact,  commences  with  the  end  of 
summer ;  winter  there  is  none.  Summer,  blazing  summer,  tempered  by  the 
ocean  fogs  and  ocean  breezes,  is  followed  by  a  long  and  delightful  six  months' 
spring,  which  in  its  tiu-n  passes  almost  instantaneously  away,  at  the  approach 
of  another  summer.  As  soon  as  the  dry  season  sets  in,  the  herbage  withers 
under  the  sun's  rays,  except  in  the  deep  canons,  the  surface  becomes  first 
of  a  pale  gi'een,  then  of  a  light  straw-yellow,  and  finally,  of  a  rich  russet- 
brown  color,  against  which  the  dark  green  foliage  of  the  oaks  and  pines, 
unchanging  during  the  summer,  is  deeply  contrasted. 

One  need  not  go  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  cit}^  of  San  Francisco  to 
obtain  fine  panoramic  views  of  Coast  Range  scenery ;  let  the  traveller,  an 
hour  before  sunset,  ascend  Telegraph  or  Russian  Hill  of  a  clear  day  in  the 
rainy  season,  —  and  such  days  are  far  from  uncommon,  —  and  he  will  have 
spread  out  before  him  the  Golden  Gate  and  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  and  the 
mountains  which  surround  them,  from  Mount  Bache  and  Mount  Hamilton  on 
the    south    to    Mount    Helena    on    the    north.      Lookinfr    in    a    northwesterlv 


36  THE   YOSE.MITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

direction,  he  wUl  see  the  ranges  of  Marin  County  coming  down  to  naeet  the 
ocean,  forming  the  northern  side  of  the  Golden  Gate,  and  jjresenting  at  their 
termination  a  broken  but  j^recipitous  wall  of  dark  reddish  rock,  from  six  to 
eight  hundi'ed  feet  high,  -which  contrasts  tinely  with  the  rounded,  gi-een 
slopes  above.  Beyond  these,  the  steep  and  graceful  form  of  Tanial  Pais 
is  seen  rising  to  the  height  of  2,597  feet,  and  forming  the  most  prominent 
landmark  of  the  region.  This  mountain  lies  six  miles  southwest  of  San 
Rafael,  from  which  place  the  trip  to  its  summit  may  easily  be  made  on 
horseback  in  a  day ;  and,  although  the  view  from  it  is  not  as  extensive  as 
that  from  Monte  Diablo,  it  is  one  well  w^orthy  of  being  seen,  as  being  both 
attractive  and  chai'actcristic  of  the  Coast  Ranges,  while  the  forest  vegetation 
in  the  canons  on  the  north  slope  of  the  mountain  is  thorovighly  Califomian, 
consisting  of  noble  sjjecimens  of  the  redwood,  laurel,  madrona,  and  other  trees 
noticed  above  as  occun-ing  in  this  portion  of  the  State.  Facing  the  north,  our 
observer  from  Telegraph  Hill  will  have  directly  before  him,  at  a  distance  of  a 
mile,  Alcatraz  Island,  with  its  fortifications,  and  beyond  it,  three  miles  farther 
on  in  the  same  direction.  Angel  Island,  771  feet  high,  intercepting  the  view  up 
the  bay  of  San  Fraiacisco  and  into  San  Pablo  Bay,  beyond  which  rise  the 
numerous  ranges  which  border  Napa  and  Sonoma  valleys,  the  farthest  visible 
point  in  this  direction  being  Moimt  Helena,  4,343  feet  high,  and  about  sixty 
miles  distant.  Facing  the  east,  the  view  extends  across  the  Bay,  here  about 
five  miles  wide,  to  the  Contra  Costa  Hills,  which  rise  rapidly  from  a  gently 
sloping  plain,  two  miles  in  width,  to  an  average  height  of  about  1,500  feet. 
Along  the  base  of  the  Contra  Costa  Hills  the  population  is  rapidly  increasing 
in  density,  —  the  towns  of  Oakland,  San  Antonio,  Alameda,  and  San  Leandro 
forming  almost  a  continuous  row  of  houses  along  a  line  some  ten  or  twelve 
miles  in  length.  Behind  the  Contra  Costa  Range  rises  the  conical  mass 
of  Monte  Diablo,  apparently  near  at  hand,  but  in  reality  belonging  to  a 
distant  range,  and  separated  from  the  Contra  Costa  Hills  by  the  San  Ramon 
Valley.  To  obtain,  within  the  city  itself,  a  clear  view  to  the  south,  one 
must  ascend  the  highest  point  of  Clay  Street  Hill,  or  the  elevation  on  which 
the  reservoir  is  situated,  just  beyond  Russian  Hill ;  from  these  points  the 
eye  may  range  over  the  San  Bruno  Hills,  down  the  bay  into  the  San  Jose 
Valley,  and  as  far  as  the  great  mass  of  mountains  near  and  west  of  Mount 
Hamilton    and    Mount    Oso,  —  a  wild  waste    of   chaparral-covered    ridges,  into 


GENERAL.  37 

which  few  persons  have  ever  penetrated.  This  portion  of  the  Coast  Ranges 
sometimes  remains  covered  with  snow  for  days,  or,  during  exceptionally  cold 
and  stonily  winters,  weeks  even,  and  at  such  times  presents  an  almost 
Alpine  appearance.  On  the  other  side  of  the  San  Jose  Valley  we  look  along 
the  hills  covered  with  redwood  forests  —  now,  alas  !  fiist  disappearing  before 
the  chopper's  axe  —  as  far  as  Mounts  Bache,  Cliual,  and  Umunhum,  which 
rise  directly  above  the  village  and  mines  of  New  Almaden,  the  highest  of 
these,  named  in  honor  of  the  late  eminent  chief  of  the  Coast  Svirvey,  being 
just  sixty  feet  lower  than  Monte  Diablo.  From  some  points  between  the  city 
and  the  ocean,  in  certain  states  of  the  atmosphere,  the  Farallones  are 
distinctly  visible,  forty  miles  out  at  sea,  their  preciijitous  granite  masses 
gleaming  white  in  the  sun. 

But  we  linger  too  long  among  the  Coast  Ranges,  and  must  turn  to  the 
grander  Sierra,  in  which  the  localities  moi'e  particularly  the  theme  of  this 
volume  are  situated.  ^ 

The  Sierra  Nevada,  or  "  Snowy  Range,"  forms  the  western  edge  of  the 
gi-eat  continental  upheaval  or  plateau,  on  which  the  Cordilleras  are  built  up. 
It  corresponds  in  position  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  one  being  the 
western,  the  other  the  eastern  edge  of  the  central  portion  of  the  mass.  The 
base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  however,  is  4,000  feet  above  the  sea  level,  and 
the  slope  from  it  eastward  is  almost  imperceptible,  but  continuous  for  600 
miles  to  the  Mississippi ;  while  from  the  crest  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  we 
descend  rapidly,  in  less  than  a  hundred  miles,  to  very  near  the  level  of  the 
sea.  The  plateau  between  the  two  ranges  is  nearly  a  thousand  miles  wide, 
having  here  its  greatest  development  and  its  maximimi  altitude,  while  the 
subordinate  ranges  piled  upon  it  here  exhibit  their  greatest  regularity  of 
trend  and  structure. 

No  range  among  all  the  mountain  chains  which  make  up  the  Cordilleras 
of  North  America  surpasses,  if  any  one  equals,  the  Sierra  Nevada,  in  extent 
or  altitude,  and  certainly  no  one  on  the  continent  can  be  compared  with 
it  in  the  general  features  of  interest  which  characterize  it,  —  its  scenery, 
vegetation,  mineral  wealth,  the  energy  and  skill  M-ith  which  its  resources 
have  been  developed,  and  the  impetus  which  this  development  has  given  to 
commerce  and  civilization. 

The  Sierra  Nevada,  as  the   term  is  popularly  understood,   is   strictly  limited 


38  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

to  California,  and  it  extends  from  the  Tejon  Pass  to  Mount  Shasta,  a  distance 
of  over  550  miles.  Some,  however,  and  witli  propriety,  would  consider  the 
Sierra  as  terminating  at  Lassen's  Peak,  a  gi'and  volcanic  mass  in  latitiide 
40"  30',  where  the  metamorphic  rocks  of  the  Sierra  system  sink  down  in  a 
great  transverse  break,  and  a  volcanic  plateau  takes  their  place  and  stretches 
north  to  Mount  Shasta.  Beyond  this  last-named  volcanic  mass,  the  range  is 
prolonged  to  the  north  through  Oregon  and  Washington  Territorj-,  with  nnich 
the  same  character  as  in  California,  although  Avith  gi-eatly  diminished  average 
elevation ;  but  it  is  there  everywhere  known  by  the  name  of  the  Cascade 
Range.  In  its  southern  termination,  as  previously  remarked,  the  Sierra 
Nevada  inosculates  with  the  Coast  Ranges,  and  the  two  systems  are  so  linked 
together  from  the  Tejon  Pass  south,  that  there  is  no  longer  any  geogi-aphical, 
but  only  a  geological,  distinction  to  be  made  between  the  two  systems. 

Considering  the  Sierra  to  terminate  on  the  north  at  Lassen's  Peak,  its 
length  Avill  be  about  450  miles,  and  its  breadth,  taking  the  valleys  of 
Walker's,  Mono,  and  Honey  Lakes  as  its  eastern,  and  the  base  of  the  foot- 
hills as  its  western  limit,  may  be  set  down  as  averaging  80  miles.  This 
width,  however,  is  very  unequally  distributed  between  the  two  slopes ;  the 
western  is  much  more  gradual,  and  of  course  longer,  especialh^  as  the 
elevation  to  be  gained  is  much  greater ;  for  the  western  descent  is  to  the 
level  of  the  sea,  or  nearly  to  that ;  while  the  eastern  is  to  the  level 
of  the  Great  Basin,  some  4,000  feet  above  tide-water.  The  western  slope 
of  the  Sierra  rises,  in  the  central  portion  of  the  State,  opposite  Sacramento, 
at  the  average  rate  of  about  100  feet  to  a  mile,  the  elevation  of  the  passes 
being  about  7,000  feet,  and  the  horizontal  distance  seventy  miles.  As  we 
go  south  from  here  the  elevation  of  the  passes  increases  rapidly  and  the 
breadth  of  the  range  diminishes,  until  the  gi-ade  reaches  its  maximum 
opposite  Visalia,  where  the  average  rise  from  the  plain  of  the  San  Joaquin 
to  the  summit  of  the  passes  is  over  240  feet  to  the  mile,  and  to  the  summit 
of  the  highest  peaks  300  feet.  North  of  the  Donner  Lake  Pass,  or  that 
by  which  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  crosses  the  Sierra,  the  branches  of  the 
Feather  River  head  around  and  to  the  east  of  an  elevated  range  on  which 
Spanish  Peak  and  Lassen's  Peak  are  situated,  while  the  real  divide  or  water- 
shed is  forty  miles  forther  east,  and  crowned  with  numerous  peaks,  few 
of  which  are  named  and  none  known  to  geogi-aphers.     The  intermediate  space 


GENERAL. 


39 


between  these  two  dominating  ranges  is  filled  with  a  labyrinth  of  ridges  and 
valleys,  defying  all  attempts  at  classification.  The  average  slope  from  Oroville 
to  the  summit  of  Beckworth's  Pass  is  not  over  seventy  feet  to  the  mile ; 
but,  owing  to  the  ^jeculiar  character  of  the  country  indicated  above,  this 
moi'e  moderate  elevation  and  grade  could  not  be  made  available  for  railroad 
purposes,  as  the  summit  could  not  be  reached,  except  by  a  circuitous  and 
difficult  route  up  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Feather  River. 

The  height  of  the  dominating  peaks,  as  well  as  of  the  passes,  sinks  as  we 
go  northward  from  latitude  3G°  30',  which  is  nearly  that  of  the  north  end 
of'  Owen's  Lake.  This  condition  of  things  will  be  easily  understood  on 
examination  of  the  annexed  tabular  statement :  — 


TABLE   OF   THE   ELEVATIONS   OF  PEAKS   AND   PASSES  IN  THE 
SIERRA   NEVADA, 


Latitude. 

Name  and  Elevation  of  Pass. 

o 
36 
37 
37 

( 
32 

28 
55 
10 
30 
45 
50 
10 

20 
30 

38 
45 

Pass  without  name 

Mono  Pass 

No  of  Feet. 

12,057 

1 2,400 

10,765 

10,115 

8,793 

8,759 

7,339 

7,119  ) 
7,056  [ 
6,996  ) 

6,642 
5,327 

38 

Sonora  Pass.    . 

38 
38 

Silver  Mountain  Pass.. . 
Carson  Pass 

38 

Johnson  Pass 

39 
39 

Georiictown,   or   Squaw 

Valley  Pass 

Donncr  Pass 

39 

Henness  Pass 

39 
39 

Yuba  Gap 

Beckworth's  Pass 

Name  and  Elevation  of  Adjacent 
Dominating  Peak. 

I  No.  of  Feet. 

Mount  Whitney 15,000 

Red  Slate  Peak 13,400 

Mount  Dana 13,227 

Castle  Peak 1 2,500 

Silver  Mountain 10,9.34 

Wood's  Peak 10,552 

Pyramid  Peak 10,120 

No   very  marked   domi-  j 

nating  peaks  ;  the  crest ' 

of  the  ranf^e  from  500  I 

to  1 ,000  feet  above  the  I 

passes.  I 

Downieville  Battes    . . . . '  8,400 

Onjunii 8,378 


From  Beckworth's  north,  the  passes  gain  a  little  in  elevation,  and  the 
adjacent  peaks  are  from  8,000  to  9,000  feet  high.  The  above  table  shows 
that  from  latitude  36°  32'  to  39°  45'  the  peaks  sink  from  15,000  to  8,400, 
and  the  passes  from  12,000  to  5,400  feet. 

The  central  mass,  or  core,  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  as  of  most  high  moun- 
tams,  IS  chiefly  granite  ;  this  is  flanked  on  both  sides  by  metamorphic  slates, 
and  capped  irregularly  by  vast  masses  of  basaltic  and  other  kinds  of  lava, 
and  hea\y  beds  of  ashes  and  breccia,  bearing  witness  to  a  former  prodigious 
activity    of    the    subteiTanean    volcanic    forces,    now    dormant    or    only  made 


40  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

sensible  hy  occasional  earth(pijike  shocks.  The  granitic  belt  widens  as  we  go 
south,  and,  in  the  highest  portion  of  the  Sien-a,  has  a  breadth  of  nearly 
forty  miles.  Northwards,  the  anioinit  of  volcanic  material  increases,  and, 
after  we  pass  Lassen's  Peak,  as  before  remarked,  it  covers  the  whole  width 
of  the  range,  forming  one  vast  elevated  platean,  crowned  with  a  series  of 
cones,  many  of  which  have  well-formed  craters  still  existing  on  their  summits. 
These  craters,  however,  now  exhibit  no  indications  of  present  activity.  The 
only  remnants  of  the  forces  by  which  they  were  l)uilt  up  are  the  hot 
springs,  which  are  plentifully  distributed  along  the  line  of  former  volcanic 
action.  While  the  southern  highest  points  of  the  Sien-a  are  of  granite,  and 
those  north  of  Lake  Tahoe  are  chiefly  volcanic,  or,  at  least,  capped  with 
volcanic  materials,  there  are  a  nvimber  of  very  elevated  peaks  in  the  central 
part  of  the  State,  including  Mount  Dana,  Avhich  are  made  up  of  slates  and 
metamorphic  rocks,  as  will  be  noticed  in  the  next  chapter. 

In  so  elevated  a  range  as  the  Sierra  Nevada,  we  should  exj^ect  to  find  a 
number  of  belts  of  forest  vegetation,  corresponding  to  the  different  zones  of 
altitude  above  the  sea-level.  As  in  the  Coast  Ranges,  the  general  character 
is  given  to  the  landscape  by  coniferous  trees  and  oaks,  all  other  families  being 
usually  quite  subordinate  in  importance,  and  the  number  of  the  conifers,  as 
compared  with  that  of  the  oaks,  increasing  rapidly  as  we  ascend. 

There  are  four  pretty  well  marked  belts  of  forest  vegetation  on  the  west 
slope  of  the  Sieira,  and  that  of  the  eastern  slope  would  make  a  fifth  for  the 
whole  range.  These  belts,  however,  pass  gradually  into  each  other,  and  are 
not  so  defined  that  lines  can  be  drawn  separating  or  distinctly  limiting  them, 
and  the  division  into  groups  or  belts  here  proposed  will  only  be  found  to  hold 
good  in  the  central  portion  of  the  State  ;  as  we  go  north,  all  the  groups  of 
species  gradually  descend  in  elevation,  especially  in  approaching  the  coast. 

Of  the  four  belts  on  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  the  lowest  is  that  of 
the  foot-hills,  extending  up  to  about  3,000  feet  in  elevation  ;  its  most  charac- 
teristic species  are  the  digger  pine  (P.  Sabiniana)  and  the  black  oak  {Q. 
Sonomensis) ;  these  stand  sparsely  scattered  over  the  hillsides,  or  in  graceful 
groups,  nowhere  forming  Avhat  can  be  called  a  forest.  The  pale  bluish 
tint  of  the  pine  leaves  contrasts  finely  with  the  dark  green  of  the  oak  foliage, 
and  l)oth  pines  and  oaks  are  strongly  relieved,  in  summer,  against  the  amber 
and  straw-colored  ground.     The  small  side  valleys,  gulches  or  canons,  as  they 


GENERAL. 


41 


are  called  in  California,  according  to  their  dimensions,  are  lined  with  flowering 
shrubs,  of  which  the  California  "  buck-eye  "  {^Esculits  Californica),  is,  at  this 
altitude,  by  flir  the  most  conspicuous,  gradually  giving  place,  as  we  ascend,  to 
the  various  species  of  the  delightfully  fragrant  Ceanothus,  or  California  lilac. 
Manzanita  and  chamiso  are,  of  course,  abundant  everywhere,  and  especially  on 
tlie  driest  hillsides  and  summits. 

The  next  belt  is  that  of  the  pitch  pine,  or  Piuus  2yonderosa,  the  sugar  pine 
(7^.  Lamhertiana),  the  white  or  bastard  cedar  [Libocedrus  decurrens),  and  the 
Douglas  spruce  (Abies  Bour/lasii) ;  this  is  peculiarly  the  forest  belt  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  or  that  in  which  the  trees  have  their  finest  development. 
The  pitch  pine  replaces  the  digger  pine  first,  and  more  and  more  of  the  sugar 
pine  is  seen  from  about  4,000  feet  on  to  5,000,  at  which  altitude  the  last- 
named  noble  and  peculiarly  Californian  tree  is  most  abundant.  The  sugar 
pine  is  remarkable  for  the  size  of  its  cones,  which  hang  in  bunches  of  two  or 
more  from  the  ends  of  the  long  branches,  like  ornamental  tassels.  The  tim- 
ber of  this  tree  is  the  best  that  California  furnishes,  and  its  size  gigantic, 
being  not  unfrequently  300  feet  in  height  and  from  seven  to  ten  feet  in 
diameter.     It  is  also  in  this  belt  that  "the   "  Big  Trees "  belong. 

The  third  zone  of  forest  vegetation  is  that  of  the  firs  (Picea  grandis  and 
amahilis),  with  the  tamarack  pine  {P.  contorta)  taking  to  a  considerable 
extent  the  place  of  the  pitch  and  sugar  pines.  This  belt  extends  from  7,000 
to  9,000  feet  above  the  sea,  in  the  central  pai-t  of  the  State.  The  traveller 
to  the  Yosemite  will  sec  it  well  developed  about  WestfixlFs  meadows  and  from 
there  to  the  edge  of  the  Valley.  These  firs,  especially  the  amahilis,  which  is 
distinguished  by  the  geometrical  regularity  with  which  its  branches  are  divided, 
arc  most  superb  trees ;  they  attain  a  large  size,  are  very  symmetrical  in  their 
gi-owth,  and  have  a  dark  gi-een  brilliant  foliage,  which  is  very  fragi-ant.  A 
pine  called  Pinus  Jeffreyi,  by  some  considered  a  variety  of  the  xxmderosa,  is 
also  a  characteristic  tree  of  the  upper  part  of  this  belt,  and  above  this  sets 
in  the  Pinus  monticola,  which  takes  the  place  of  the  Piceas  at  a  high 
elevation. 

The  highest  belt   of  all   is  that  of  the  Pinus  alhicaulis  {or  flexilis  of  some 

botanists),  which   marks    the  limit    of  vegetation   in  the   middle  and  northern 

Sierra,  Pinus  aristata  taking  its  place  in  the  more  southern   region    about    the 

head  of  King's  and  Keni  Rivers.     The  alhicaulis  generally  shows  itself  at  the 

6 


42  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

hue  just  where  vegetation  is  going  to  give  out  altogether,  as  around  the  base 
of  Mount  Clark,  Mount  Dana,  and  Mount  Shasta.  On  the  last-named  moun- 
tain it  was  seen  gi-owing,  as  a  shrub,  in  favorable  places,  up  to  9,000  feet ; 
and  small  trees  were  so  compacted  by  the  pressure  of  the  snow  on  them  in 
the  winter,  that  a  man  could  easily  Avalk  over  the  fiat  surface  formed  by  their 
foliage.  A  little  clump  of  this  species  just  at  tiie  edge  of  the  snow,  on  Las- 
sen's Peak,  shows  the  aspiring  character  of  this  tree,  which  is  one  widelv 
distributed  over  the  high  mountain-tops  of  the  Cordilleras.  The  aristata  is 
also  found  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  as  well  as  along  a  limited  part  of  the 
highest  region  of  the  SieiTa  Nevada. 

More  details  of  the  distribution  of  the  forest  trees  in  and  about  the  Yo- 
semite  will  be  found  in  the  tw^o  following  chapters;  the  above  very  general 
and  brief  remarks  seemed  necessary  to  our  hasty  sketch  of  the  general  fea- 
tures of  the  Sierra  Nevada. 

The  climate  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  varies,  of  course,  with  the  altitude;  but 
not  so  much,  nor  so  rapidly,  as  one  would  expect.  Indeed,  the  traveller, 
leaving  San  Francisco,  w-ill  have  to  rise  several  thousand  feet  on  the  flanks 
of  the  Sierra,  before  he  will  come  to  a  region  where  the  mean  temperatm-e 
of  summer  is  as  low  as  in  that  city.  As  high  up  as  8,000  or  10,000 
feet,  even,  the  days  are  quite  comfortably  warm.  On  the  very  highest  peaks, 
at  elevations  of  12,000  or  13,000  feet,  we  rarely  felt  the  want  of  an  overcoat 
at  midday.  An  examination  of  our  thermometrical  observations  shows  that 
we  had  the  mercury  almost  always  over  80°  in  the  Yosemite  Valley,  at  an 
elevation  of  4,000  feet  above  the  sea,  during  the  six  midday  hours,  in  June 
and  July,  although  the  nights  w^ere,  almost  without  exception,  cool  enoiigh 
to  make  a  pair  of  heavy  blankets  desirable.  At  our  camp  in  the  Tuolumne 
Valley,  during  the  same  months,  at  an  elevation  of  8,700  feet,  the  mercury 
stood  at  a  little  over  60°,  usually,  during  the  hours  from  11  to  3,  but  fell 
rapidly  after  sunset;  and,  in  one  case,  solid  ice  an  inch  thick  was  formed 
during  the  night.  At  the  summit  of  Mount  Dana,  13,227  feet  high,  the 
temperature  marked  at  noon  was  43°  ;  and  on  Ked  Mountain,  at  an  elevation 
of  nearly  12,000  feet,  the  thermometer  stood  at  ri8°.  At  high  altitudes,  all 
through  the  mountains,  the  weather  during  the  summer  is  almost  always  the 
finest  possible  for  travelling,  whether  for  scientific  purposes  or  for  pleasure. 
The    nights,  indeed,  are    cold;  but   fuel  is  abundant,  and  the  system  becomes 


GENERAL.  43 

braced  up  to  endure  what,  in  lower  regions,  would  seem  unbearable.  There 
are  occasional  storms  in  the  high  mountains ;  bvit,  in  ordinary  seasons,  these 
are  quite  rare,  and  one  of  the  greatest  drawbacks  to  the  pleasure  of  travelling 
in  the  Alps,  the  xuicertainty  of  the  weather,  is  here  almost  entirely  wanting. 
One  may  be  reasonably  sm-e,  in  starting  to  climb  a  mountain  peak,  of  a 
clear  sky,  and  a  temjierature  which  will  make  walking  and  riding  a   pleasure. 

In  the  mountains  there  is  almost  always  a  breeze  during  the  day ;  but 
this  rarely  in  summer  rises  to  a  gale.  In  the  daytime  the  air  draws  up  the 
mountain  slopes,  and  in  the  night  blows  down.  Hence  travellers  always  have 
the  dust  with  them,  in  ascending,  until  they  get  above  roads  and  wheeled 
vehicles, — a  gi'eat  annoyance,  and  a  serious  drawback  to  the  pleasure  of 
travelling,  the  only  compensation  for  which  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that, 
in  going  down  the  mountains  and  towards  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  whether 
approaching  it  from  north  or  south,  you  have  the  breeze  in  your  face  and 
the  dust  behind  you. 

The  high  mountains  of  California  receive,  probably,  their  whole  precipitation 
of  moisture  in  the  form  of  snow,  and  of  this  an  enormous  amount  falls,  and 
during  the  winter  months  almost  exchisively.  In  the  central  portion  of  the 
State  snow  is  not  frequent,  neither  does  it  lie  long  on  the  ground,  at 
localities  below  3,000  feet  in  altitude.  As  we  go  higher  than  this,  the 
snow-fall  increases  rapidly,  and  it  accumidates  in  immense  bodies  on  the 
mountain  slopes,  and  especially  in  the  caiions.  Nearly  one  hundred  inches 
of  rain  fell  in  the  Sierra,  dm-ing  the  stormy  winter  of  1867-68,  along  a  belt 
2,000  feet  above  the  sea-level,  and  we  can  easily  believe  the  statement  that 
over  sixty  feet  of  snow  fell  during  that  season  at  Donner  Lake,  not  qiiite 
6,000  feet  in  altitude.  The  variation  in  the  fall  of  rain  or  snow,  from 
winter  to  winter,  is  very  great  all  through  California.  During  ordinary 
years,  however,  the  flanks  of  the  Sierra  are  well  covered  down  to  4,000  feet 
above  the  sea,  during  the  midwinter  months,  and  a  heavy  body  of  snow  lies 
on  the  passes  until  May,  or  even  June. 

The  crest  of  the  Sierra  is  never  entirely  denuded  of  its  snow ;  although 
at  the  end  of  a  long  and  dry  summer,  following  an  unusvially  dry  winter, 
there  are  no  heavy  bodies  of  it  except  in  the  canons,  on  the  northern  slopes 
of  the  very  highest  peaks.  There  is  ordinarily  but  little  if  any  snow  left, 
at  the  end  of  the  summer,  along  the  crest  of  the  mountains  between  Henness 


44  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

Pass  and  Liisseii's  Peak.  One  or  two  of  the  other  highest  points  in  Phimas 
County  showed,  here  anil  there,  a  sjjot  of  snow  on  their  northern  slopes,  in 
18GG,  initil  nearly  the  end  of  the  summer;  but  on  Lassen's  Peak  quite  large 
bodies  of  snow  remain  permanently,  as  far  down  as  2,000  feet  below  the 
summit.  From  here  north  to  Mount  Shasta  there  is  no  lasting  accumidation 
of  snow ;  but  on  tliat  jieak  there  are  always,  throughout  the  season,  great 
masses  in  the  ravines  or  canons  on  all  sides,  extending  down  to  G,000  or 
7,000  feet  below  the  sunmiit.  It  is  here,  and  here  only,  that  a  pretty  well 
defined  "  line  of  perpetual  snow "  may  be  said  to  exist.  Seen  from  a  gi'eat 
distance.  Mount  Shasta  appears  as  a  dazzlingly  white  cone  of  snow  ;  but,  from 
a  point  only  a  few  miles  off,  it  is  evident  enough  that  the  ridges  and  crests 
between  the  ravines  furrowing  its  sides  are  bare,  and  that  these  form  a  large 
portion  of  the  whole  surface. 

It  is  the  melting  in  summer  of  the  snow  acciimidated  during  the  winter 
which  keeps  the  streams  full  of  water,  high  up  in  the  momitains,  and  these, 
in  tiirn,  furnish  the  canals  or  ditches  which  conve}^  the  indispensable  supply 
to  the  miners.  These  ditches  are  deep  in  pi'oportion  to  their  width,  and 
have  a  ra})id  fall,  so  as  to  lessen  the  evaporation,  which  so  rapidly  diminishes 
the  quantity  of  water  in  the  streams  flowing  naturally  down  the  Sierra,  the 
smaller  of  which  usually  become  quite  dry  before  the  summer  is  half  over. 
Thus  the  store  of  snow  laid  by  in  the  Sierra  is  a  most  precious  treasm^e 
to  the  State  ;  for,  if  all  the  precipitation  were  in  the  form  of  rain,  it  would 
run  off  at  once,  causing  devastating  floods,  and  in  the  summer  it  would  be 
impossible  to  carry  on  agricultural  or  mining  operations.  Indeed,  without 
the  supply  of  snow,  the  Avhole  country  would  become  a  perfect  desert.  All 
through  the  Great  Basin  it  is  the  melting  of  the  winter's  stock  of  snow 
which  gives  what  little  there  is  of  vcrdui-e  and  fertility  to  the  slopes  of  the 
mountains.  "When  the  ranges  are  lofty  enough  and  wide  enough  to  collect 
and  store  away  a  large  supply,  which  as  it  melts  will  furnish  water  to 
irrigate  the  slopes  and  valleys,  these  may  be  made  to  bear  abundant  crops  ; 
where,  on  the  other  hand,  the  ridges  are  low,  they,  as  well  as  the  valleys  at 
their  bases,  are  absolutely  sterile. 

The  snow  seems  to  disappear  from  the  summits  of  the  higher  peaks  by 
evaporation,  rather  than  by  actual  melting.  On  the  top  of  Mount  Shasta,  for 
instance,  there  Avas  no  indication  of  dampness  ;    indeed,  pieces  of   paper,  with 


CxENERAL.  45 

the  names  of  visitors  written  on  them,  and  laid  in  uncorked  bottles,  or  on 
the  rocks  themselves,  were  found  by  iis  to  have  remained  for  years  as  fresh 
and  free  from  mould  or  discoloration  as  when  first  left  there.  It  is  owing 
to  this  peculiar  dryness  of  the  air,  jjrobably,  that  there  are  no  indications  of 
the  present  existence  of  glaciers  on  Mount  Shasta ;  and,  if  not  occurring 
there,  the}'  could  not  be  expected  to  be  found  anywhere  else  in  California. 
Masses  of  snow  several  miles  long,  and  hundreds  of  feet  in  thickness,  remain 
all  summer  without  showing  any  indication  of  becoming  glacier  ice.  They 
freeze  and  thaw  on  the  surface,  and  gradually  waste  away,  without  giving  rise 
to  considerable  streams,  remaining  always  snow  and  nothing  but  snow. 

At  a  former  and  not  very  remote  geological  period,  however,  there  were 
immense  glaciers  in  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  the  traces  of  their  past  existence 
are  among  the  most  interesting  phenomena  to  be  observed  there  now.  The 
same  beautifully  striated  and  polished  surfaces  of  rock,  resulting  fi'om  the 
pressure  and  sliding  of  great  masses  of  ice  over  them,  —  the  same  peculiar  ac- 
cumulations of  gravel  and  boulders,  called  "  moraines  "  in  the  Alps,  and  which 
are  always  formed  where  glaciers  exist,  are  found  in  the  Sierra  over  a  gi'eat 
extent  of  surface.  These  manifestations  of  former  glacial  agencies  are  limited 
to  the  higher  part  of  the  range,  and  are  most  abundant  and  well-defined  about 
the  heads  of  Kern  and  King's  Rivers,  in  the  region  above  the  Yosemite, 
and  in  the  valleys  in  which  the  Merced,  San  Joaquin,  and  Tuolumne  head,  as 
will  be  moi-e  fvdly  noticed  in  a  succeeding  chapter.  The  facts  observed  prove 
clearly  that  the  climate  of  California  was  once  considei'ably  moister  than  it 
now  is.  There  must  have  been  a  pretty  abundant  precipitation  of  snow  along 
the  Sien-a,  dm-ing  the  summer,  as  there  now  is  in  the  Alps;  but  it  is  not 
necessary  to  suppose  that  the  country,  at  the  base  of  the  mountains  at  least, 
was  uninhabitable.  The  glaciers  did  not  extend,  in  the  central  portion  of  the 
State,  down  below  6,000  to  8,000  feet  above  the  sea-level,  except  in  a  few 
exceptional  localities.  In  these,  the  configuration  of  the  mountain  valleys  at 
the  head  of  the  glaciers  was  such  as  to  give  occasion  for  the  accumulation  of 
exceptionally  great  masses  of  snow.  Such  cirques,  or  amphitheatres,  exist  now 
at  the  heads  of  the  largest  Alpine  glaciers.  Of  these  former  low-descending 
ice-masses  in  California,  one  of  the  most  striking  was  that  which  came  down 
the  valley  of  the  Tuolumne,  and  which  must  have  been  over  thirty  miles 
in   lentcth. 


46  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

Tliat  there  was  fonucrly  a  much  greater  precipitation  of  moisture  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Sierra  than  there  now  is,  seems  proved  by  the  former 
greater  extension  of  the  hikes  on  the  eastern  slope.  Mono  Lake,  for  instance, 
is  suiTounded  by  teiTaces  or  benches,  which  show  that  its  sui-face  once  stood 
GOO  feet  higher  than  it  now  does,  and  the  same  is  true  of  Walker,  Pyramid, 
and  the  other  lakes  on  tliat  side  of  the  iSieiTa.  No  doubt,  at  that  time,  the 
now  arid  valleys  of  Nevada  were  beautiful  inland  seas,  which  filled  the  spaces 
between  the  lofty  parallel  ridges  by  which  that  State  is  traversed.  Perhaps 
the  slopes  of  those  ridges  were  then  clothed  with  dense  forests,  offering  a 
wonderful  contrast  to  the  present  baiTcnness  of  the  ranges,  and  the  monotony 
and  desolation  of  the  alkaline  plains  at  their  bases. 


THE   YOSEMITE   VALLEY.  47 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE    YOSEMITE    VALLEY. 

The  Yosemite  Valley  is  situated  a  little  south  of  east  from  San  Francisco,  ^ 
and  is  distant  from  that  city  about  155  miles  in  a  direct  line  ;  but  by  either  -^ 
of  the  routes  usually  travelled  it  is  nearly  250/^  will  be  seen  from  the  ° 
annexed  tables,  which  give  the  estimated  distances  of  the  Valley  from  o 
Stockton,  by  each  of  the  three  routes  which  it  is  possible  to  take  by  the  ^ 
ordinary  public  convey ances. /I Stockton  itself,  usually  called  120  miles  by  >- 
water  from  San  Francisco,  is  now  reached  by  steamboat  from  the  city  in  -^ 
about  twelve  hours.  Boats  leave  San  Francisco  at  four  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  ' 
arrive  at  Stockton  early  the  next  morning,  in  ample  time  to  connect  with  ' 
the  stages  which  leave  the  last-named  place  for  various  points  in  the  moun-  "^ 
tains  at  six  o'clock  a.  m.  A  railroad  between  the  two  cities  will  probably  ' 
soon  make  some  changes  in  the  time  of  leaving  both.    "^ 

From  Stockton  there  are,  nominally,  three  routes  to  the  Yosemite  ;  but,  ' 
of  late,  almost  all  the  travel  has  been  by  two  of  them,  the  third,  that  by  " 
Big  Oak  Flat,  being  almost  entirely  neglected.  Yet  this  is  the  most  direct  ' 
line  to  the  Valley,  passengers  by  either  of  the  other  routes  making  a ' 
considerable  detour  to  the  south.  A  straight  line  from  Stockton  to  the 
Yosemite  passes  directly  through  Big  Oak  Flat,  and  the  distance  is  only 
ninety  miles  in  an   air-line. 

A  railroad  has  also  been  talked  of  for  some  time  between  Stockton  and  "■ 
Copperopolis.  This  would  shorten  the  time  to  the  Yosemite  considerably,  and 
perhaps  bring  the  Big  Oak  Flat  route  into  fashion.  Those  who  can  afford  it-  ' 
will  do  well  to  hire  private  conveyances  at  Stockton,  as  the  stages  are  often  " 
crowded  and  uncomfortable,  tlie  aiTangements  on  the  route  not  having  been  "^ 
hitherto  made  with  reference  to  the  comfort  of  pleasure  travellers. 

The    tables    of   distances    from    Stockton,    by    the    different   routes,   are    as  ^ 
follows  :  — 


48 


TlIK    YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 


By  stage  or 

other  wheeled 

vehicle. 


On  horseback. 


VIA  BIG  OAK  FLAT.  Miles. 

Stockton  to  Coi)])eropolis 36 

Copiicropulis  to  Chinese  Canij) 1.5 

Chinese  Camp  to  Jacksonville 4 

Jacksonville  to  Big  Oak  Flat 8 


Big  Oak  Flat  to  Sprague's  Rancli 9 

S])rague's  Hancli  to  Big  Flume 4 

Big  Flume  to  South  Fork,  Tuolunme  River 3 

South  Fork  to  Hardin's  Ranch 4 

Hardin's  Ranch  to  Tamarack  Flat 14 

Tamarack  Flat  to  Boundary  Corner,  Yosemitc 2? 

Boundary  Corner  to  Lower  Hotel 7.i 


63 


Total. 


44| 
107i 


Bv  stage. 


Horseback  or 
on  wheels. 


On  horseback. 


VIA   COULTERVILLE. 

Stockton  to  Knight's  Ferry 36 

Knight's  Feny  to  Crimea  House 12 

Crimea  House  to  Don  Pedro's  Bar 9 

Don  Pedro's  Bar  to  Coultcrvillc 14 

Coultcrville  to  Bower  Cave 12 

Bower  Cave  to  Black's 5 

f  Black's  to  Deer  Flat 6 

Deer  Flat  to  Hazle  Green 5h 

Hazle  Green  to  Crane  Flat 5 

Crane  Flat  to  Tamarack  Flat 42 

Tamarack  Flat  to  Boundary 2J 

Boundary  Stake  to  Edge  of  Valley 0.^ 

Edge  of  Valley  to  Lower  Hotel 7 

Total 


4»h 
U9l 


By  stage  or 
on  wheels. 


On  horseback.   - 


VIA  BEAR  VALLEY  AND  MARIPOSA. 

Stockton  to  Tuolumne  River 45 

Tuolumne  River  to  Snelling's 12 

Snelling's  to  Hornitos 12 

Hornitos  to  Bear  Valley 9 

Bear  Valley  to  Mariposa 12 

I  Mariyosa  to  White  and  Hatch's 1 1 4 

White  and  Hatch's  to  Clark's 1  Ig 

Clark's  to  Alder  Creek 6.^ 

Alder  Creek  to  Empire  Camp 3 

Empire  Camp  to  Westfall's  Meadow 3h 

Westfall's  Meadow  to  Inspiration  Point 5 

Inspiration  Point  to  Lower  Hotel 7.;, 

Total 


lOU 


_37J 
138^ 


THE   YOSEMITE  VALLEY.  49 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  distances  to  be  travelled  by  the  different 
routes  are  as  follows  :  — 

B.  0.  Flat.  Coulterville.  Mariposa. 

On  wheels 63       71        101^^  miles. 

Horseback 44i     ....       48h     ....         37|      " 

Total 107:}     ....     119A     ....       138| 

And,  having  given  the  distances,  as  above,  we  will  add  a  few  words  as  to 
the  desirability  of  the  different  routes.  In  the  first  place,  it  must  be  men- 
tioned that  the  roads  into  the  Valley  all  have  a  great  flxult ;  the  traveller 
is  obliged  to  rise  from  3,000  to  3,500  feet  higher  than  the  point  which  he 
wishes  to  reach,  namely,  the  bottom  of  the  Yosemite  Valley,  which  is  only 
4,000  feet  above  the  sea-level,  while  the  highest  point  on  the  Mariposa  trail 
is  7,400  feet  in  elevation,  and  the  summit  on  the  Coulterville  and  Big  Oak 
Flat  side  not  much  less.  The  reason  of  this  is,  that  the  canon  of  the 
Merced,  which  river  runs  through  the  Valley,  is  deep  and  crooked,  and  has 
such  precipitous  sides,  that  making  a  road  or  trail  through  it  would  be  quite 
difficult  and  expensive,  so  that  the  Valley  has  to  be  approached,  not  from 
below,  but  from  one  side.  Still,  the  Indians  have  a  trail  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Merced,  from  Clark's  ranch,  which  is  used  by  them  when  the  other 
is  closed  by  snow,  and  which  we  suppose  to  be  at  least  2,000  feet  lower 
than  the  other,  and .  which  consequently  is  open  earlier  in  the  spring  and 
closed  later  in  the  autumn.  If  a  good  trail  could  be  made  into  the  Valley 
this  way,  not  only  Avould  the  extra  climbing  and  descending  be  avoided,  but, 
what  is  of  more  importance,  the  Valley  would  be  accessible  to  travellers,  not 
liking  to  go  in  over  the  snow,  for  a  much  longer  time  during  the  season. 
At  i^resent  there  is  sometimes  a  considei'able  amount  of  snow  to  be  crossed 
in  going  in,  on  either  side,  as  late  as  June,  although,  generally,  the  trail 
is  clear  in  May. 

It    is    usually  a   great    desideratum  with    travellers    to    shorten    the  distance 
to  be    made    on    horseback    as    much    as    possil)le,  and    in    this    respect    it  Avill 
be    seen    that    the     Mariposa    trail    has    the    advantage,  as    there  ai-e  only  37  \ 
miles  of  horseback  riding  on  that    side    to    48    on    the    other.     With    a    little    ' 
expense,  however,  the    trail    on    the    Coulterville  side  may  easily  be  shortened  V 
so    that    it    shall    not  be  much  longer  than  the  other.     This  may  be  done  by 
making    a    straight    road    fn)m    the    Bower    Cave   to  Deer  Flat,  by  which  five 
7 


50  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

or  six  miles  may  be  saved,  as  will  be  seen  on  the  map.  A  good  wagon-road 
can  be  made  on  this  side  from  Coulterville  to  the  edge  of  the  Vallc}',  for 
a  very  moderate  sum,  so  that  travellers  could  make  the  trip  through  in  one 
day ;  indeed,  there  is  now  a  wagon-road  as  far  as  Black's,  although  it  is 
seldom  used.  As  at  present  arranged,  it  is  very  inconvenient  to  travellers, 
especially  to  ladies  not  accustomed  to  riding,  since  there  is  no  stoi)ping-place 
on  that  side,  except  at  Black's  (which  is  an  excellent  one)  ;  but  this  being 
only  seventeen  miles  from  Coulterville,  there  are  314-  miles  to  be  done  the 
next  day,  —  a  very  hard  day's  work,  when  we  consider  that  climbing  down 
the  walls  of  the  Valley  makes  up  a  part  of  it. 

The  proper  way  for  travellers  is,  undoubtedly,  to  make  the  "round  trip," 
going  into  the  Valley  on  one  side  and  returning  on  the  other,  as  the  trail 
on  the  ^larijDosa  side  takes  one  near  the  Big  Trees,  and,  besides,  furnishes 
by  far  the  best  general  views  of  the  Valley  ;  while,  on  the  Coulterville  trail, 
we  have  the  Bower  Cave  and  many  fine  views  of  the  distant  Sierra.  It  is 
for  the  traveller  to  decide  whether  he  prefers  getting  these  general  views 
of  the  Valley  after  he  has  already  been  there,  or  on  his  way  into  it.  If  he 
wishes  to  have  the  whole  grandeur  of  the  Yosemite  revealed  to  him  at  once, 
let  him  enter  the  Valley  on  the  Mariposa  side ;  if,  on  the  other  hand,  he 
prefers  to  see  the  various  points  in  succession,  one  after  another,  and  then, 
finally,  as  he  leaves  the  Valley,  to  have  these  glorious  general  views,  as  a 
kind  of  summing  up  of  the  whole,  he  will  enter  by  the  Coulterville  and 
/  depart  by  the  Mariposa  side.  Horses  and  g\iides  may  be  obtained  at  Coulter- 
ville, Mariposa  or  Bear  Valley,  to  make  the  rovind  trijD,  and  parties  often 
go  prepared  to  camp  out  on  the  way  wherever  they  may  find  it  agreeable, 
thus  rendering  themselves  independent  of  hotels  and  landlords.  Those  who 
do  not  camp  usually  ride  from  Bear  Valley  or  Mariposa  to  White  and 
Hatch's,  dine  there,  and  go  on  to  Clark's  the  same  evening  ;  stop  over  there 
one  day,  and  visit  the  Big  Tree  Grove ;  then  ride  to  the  Yosemite  the  next 
day.  In  leaving  the  Valley,  they  ride  to  Black's  the  first  day ;  then  to 
Coidters'ille  the  second,  and  reach  San  Francisco  late  the  night  of  the  third. 
Those  who  are  not  in  haste  should  stop  over  night  at  White  and  Hatch's, 
and  jog  on  comfortably  the  next  day  to  Clai-k's.  Persons  have  been  fovmd, 
sufficiently  in  haste,  and  having  so  little  regard  for  their  horses,  as  to  ride 
from  Bear  Valley  to  the  Yosemite  in  one  day,  eighteen  hours  long ! 


THE   YOSEMITE  VALLEY,  51 

With  the  completion  of  tlie  raih-oad  from  San  Francisco  to  Stockton,  and 
from  the  latter  place  to  Copperopolis,  as  well  as  of  the  wagon-roads  contem- 
plated and  spoken  of  above,  the  trip  to  the  Yosemite  will  no  longer  be  one 
reqniring  any  considerable  exertion,  even  from  those  least  nscd  to  "  roughing 
it."  As  at  present  arranged,  however,  it  will  not  do  to  take  less  than  ten 
days  for  the  excursion  from  San  Francisco  to  the  Yosemite  and  back,  includ- 
ing a  visit  to  the  Big  Trees.  This  includes  a  stoppage  of  three  days  in  the 
Valley,  —  the  least  time  that  one  can  give  to  it,  even  if  all  the  minor  excur- 
sions are  neglected.  The  following  would  be  a  convenient  programme  :  leave 
on  Stockton  boat  at  four  o'clock  p.  m.  ;  then  first  day  to  Bear  Valley  ;  second, 
to  White  and  Hatch's;  third,  visit  the  Big  Trees  and  return  to  Clark's; 
fourth,  to  the  Yosemite ;  fifth,  sixth,  and  seventh,  in  the  Valley ;  eighth,  to 
Black's ;  ninth,  to  Bower  Cave  and  Coulterville ;  tenth,  return  to  San  Francisco, 
leaving  Coulterville  very  early  in  the  morning  and  reaching  San  Francisco  late 
the  same  night.  There  is  nothing  in  the  trip  which  need  excite  alarm  in 
even  the  most  timid  person,  as  the  trails  are  nowhere  dangerous,  and  it  is 
always  easy  to  dismount  where  the  slope  is  too  steep  for  riding  with  comfort 
to  man  or  beast.  The  grandeur  of  the  scenerj-,  the  magnificence  of  the 
forests,  the  clear  cool  water,  and  bracing  air  of  the  mountains,  —  all  these 
combine  to  make  the  ride,  after  one  leaves  the  foot-hills,  one  of  most 
intense  enjoyment  to  those  who  are  sufficiently  accustomed  to  ridino-  to  feel 
"  at  home  "  on  a  horse's  or  mule's  back,  as  is  Visually  the  case  with  Califor- 
nians.  Three  days,  however,  is  but  a  very  limited  time  for  seeing  the  Valley 
itself  and  its  surroundings;  and,  after  describing  the  principal  objects  of  in- 
terest in  the  region,  some  hints  will  be  given  as  to  extending  the  sojourn 
there  and  utilizing  the  additional  days  to  the  best  advantage. 

For  convenience,  the  routes  into  the  Valley,  on  each  side,  will  first  be  de- 
scribed, and  then  the  Valley  itself,  and  we  will  imagine  the  traveller  to  start 
at  Coulterville,  entering  the  Yosemite  on  the  north  side. 

Coulterville  lies  near  the  "  Great  Quartz  Vein  "  of  California,  and  was  once 
the  seat  of  considerable  placer  and  quartz  mining ;  but  both  of  these  indus- 
tries are,  at  present,  in  rather  a  stagnant  condition.  It  lies  on  Maxwell 
Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Merced,  at  an  elevation  of  about  1,800  feet  above 
the  sea,  and  not  far  from  the  border  between  the  "  foot-hills  "  and  the  Sien-a 
proper,  where  we  leave  the  hills  densely  covered  with  chapan-al  for  the    more 


52  THE  yosemitp:  guide-book. 

open  and  majestic  forests  uf  the  liiglier  regions,  exchanging  ditches  for  natu- 
rally-running water,  no  longer  thickened  to  tlie  consistency  of  porridge  by  the 
red  mud  of  the  miner.  The  road  runs  from  Coulterville  nearly  northeast  for 
eight  miles,  until  it  strikes  the  North  Fork  of  the  Merced,  down  which  it 
descends  for  a  short  distance,  then  crosses  and  passes  near  the  "  Bower 
Cave."  This  is  a  picturesque  and  quite  xuiique  locality,  and  is  well  worthy 
of  a  visit. 

It  consists  of  an  immense  crack  in  the  limestone,  open  to  the  air  at  the 
surface,  and  irregidarly  widened  out  in  a  cave-like  manner  below,  by  the  action 
of  currents  of  water.  On  the  iq^per  side  of  the  obliquely-descending  crevice, 
an  overhanging  ledge  of  rock  permits  the  vertical  depth  of  the  cave  to  the 
level  of  the  water,  which  partly  fills  it,  to  be  measured ;  it  is  109  feet.  The 
length  of  the  open  crevice  is  133  feet,  and  its  wudth  86.  At  various  heights, 
deep  cavities,  or  small  caves,  are  worn  in  the  rock,  some  of  which  may 
be  followed  for  a  considerable  distance.  The  picturesque  effect  of  the  cave  is 
gi-eatly  heightened  by  the  growth  within  it  of  three  large  maple  trees, 
of  which  the  branches  project  out  at  the  top.  The  water  at  the  bottom 
is  exceedingly  pellucid,  permitting  the  ramifications  of  the  crevice  beneath  its 
surface  to  be  seen  for  a  depth  of  at  least  forty  feet.  Access  can  be  had  to 
the  bottom  of  the  cave  by  a  series  of  steps,  and  a  boat  is  provided  for  the 
use  of  visitors  ;  other  conveniences  are  also  furnished,  permitting  a  cool  and 
comfortable  stay  in  this  cm-ious  place,  which  seems  to  be  peculiarly  adapted 
for  a  picnic  in  hot  weather. 

From  the  Bower  Cave,  the  road  follows  down  the  north  fork  of  the  ]\Ierced 
for  three  miles,  then  crosses  over  rolling  hills  to  Black's,  about  the  same 
distance  farther.  Here  the  first  night  is  usually  spent,  the  accommodations 
being  excellent.  From  Black's,  the  trail  winds  along  the  side  of  the  narrow 
valley  of  Bull  Creek,  completely  embowered  in  ceanothus,  or  California  lilac, 
most  fragi-ant  during  the  early  part  of  the  season.  Leaving  Bull  Creek,  we 
follow  Deer  Creek,  one  of  its  branches,  to  its  source  at  Deer  Flat.  This 
is  one  of  the  numerous  small,  nearly  level,  areas  of  grassy  land,  usually 
called  "flats"  in  the  Sierra.  Here  was  formerly,  and  perhaps  is  still,  the  last 
habitation  on  the  trail,  and  good  camping  ground,  although  rather  wet  early 
in  the  season. 

Leaving  Deer    Flat,  the    trail  wunds    up    along    the    side    of    Pilot    Peak,  a 


THE    YOSEMITE  VALLEY.  53 

prominent  landmark,  a  little  over  6,000  feet  above  the  sea-level,  the  summit 
of  which  may  l)e  easily  reached  from  the  trail,  and  the  view  from  which  will 
well  repay  a  delay  of  a  couple  of  hom-s  for  that  purpose.  There  are  few 
points  of  easy  access  finer  than  Pilot  Peak  for  a  general  view  of  the  Sierra, 
the  crest  of  which  is  about  forty  miles  distant  in  a  straight  line.  In  clear 
weather,  in  spite  of  this  distance,  an  admirable  panoramic  view  may  be 
obtained,  especially  of  the  almost  inaccessible  volcanic  region  south  of  the 
Sonora  ti'ail,  where  Castle  Peak,  one  of  the  grandest  mountain  masses  in 
California,  rises  in  steps  like  a  series  of  truncated  pyramids  piled  one  above 
the  other.  This  point  is  twenty-five  miles  distant  in  a  northeasterly 
direction.  Sweeping  round  the  horizon,  to  the  right  from  Castle  Peak,  we 
see,  beyond  the  Yosemite,  the  highest  portion  of  the  Sierra,  at  the  head 
of  the  Merced  River,  a  magnificent  group  of  peaks  over  13,000  feet  in 
elevation.  The  summit  of  Pilot  Peak  is  also  an  excellent  point  for  getting 
an  idea  of  the  middle  portion  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  the  region  of  deep 
canons  and  innumerable,  long,  parallel  ridges,  all  clad  with  dense  forests 
of  coniferous  trees. 

From  Deer  Flat  to  Crane  Flat  is  ten  and  a  half  miles  (usually  called 
twelve),  Hazle  Green  being  midway  between  the  two ;  these  are  all  small 
patches  of  meadow.  The  trail  passes  over  and  along  a  high  granite  spur 
of  the  Sierra,  rising  at  the  summit  to  the  elevation  of  6,G69  feet.  From 
this  portion  of  the  route  there  are  occasional  glimpses  to  be  had  of  the  crest 
of  the  Sien-a,  especially  from  a  ridge  a  few  rods  to  the  south  of  the  trail, 
at  a  point  two  miles  beyond  Hazle  Green.  Here  we  have  a  fine  view  of  the 
Merced  Group,  —  the  mountain  range  about  which  the  branches  of  the  river 
of  that  name  head.  At  Crane  Flat,  6,1-30  feet  above  the  sea,  there  is  a 
deserted  shanty  and  abundant  feed  for  animals.  The  forests  in  this  vicinity 
are  superb,  consisting  of  firs,  cedixrs,  sugar  and  pitch  pines.  There  is  also 
a  small  grove  of  the  Big  Trees  about  a  mile  from  the  Flat,  in  a  northwest- 
erly direction. 

From  here  on  to  the  Yosemite  the  character  of  the  scenery  begins  to 
change,  and  to  show  indications  of  an  approach  to  the  higlier  regions  of  the 
Sierra.  The  larger  outcrops  of  granite  assume  more  or  less  of  the  dome 
form,  and  they  are  almost  bare  of  vegetation.  The  forests  become  less  dense, 
the    sugar    pine    grows    less    frequent,  and    the    firs  and    spruce    begin   to  pre- 


54  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

dominate  over  the  jjines.  From  Crane  Flat  to  Cascade  Creek  is  an  elevated 
region,  about  7,000  feet  above  the  sea,  and  covered  Avith  snow  some  time 
after  the  rest  of  the  trail  has  become  clear.  Hence  a  lower  route  has  been 
selected,  which  descends  Crane  Creek  and  then  skirts  along  the  caiion  of  the 
Merced,  a  thousand  or  more  feet  below  the  one  ordinarily  in  use  later  in 
the  season.  Tliis  avoiding  the  high  ground,  however,  is  not  effected  without 
adding  a  couple  of  miles  to  the  distance.  The  two  trails  unite  at  Cascade 
Creek,  only  a  short  distance  from  the  edge  of  the  Valley.  At  a  little 
distance  from  the  trail,  on  the  southern  or  right-hand  side,  a  partial  glimpse 
into  the  Yosemite  may  be  obtained.  It  is  not  a  satisfactory  one,  however, 
on  account  of  the  number  of  trees  in  the  way,  and  the  bend  in  the  Valley 
itself,  which  cuts  off  the  view  of  all  the  upper  pai-t.  This  point  of  view  has 
been  rather  absurdly  called  the  "  Stand-Point  of  Silence." 

Leaving  our  imaginary  part}^  sitting  here  and  enjoying  the  cool  breezes  and 
grateful  shade,  we  will  return  and  conduct  another  set  over  the  Mariposa 
trail,  in  order  that  justice  may  be  done  to  "  both  sides." 

The  traveller,  starting  from  Bear  Valley  for  the  Yosemite,  passes  diagonally 
through  the  whole  length  of  the  Mariposa  Estate,  that  famous  quartz-mining 
property  which  has  had  so  many  nps  and  downs.  Before  starting,  however, 
one  should  take  a  day  to  ride  to  the  summit  of  Mount  Bullion,  two  miles 
east  of  Bear  Valley,  if  he  has  time,  and  wishes  for  something  like  the  distant 
panoramic  view  of  the  Sierra,  which  was  described  above  as  to  be  had  from 
Pilot  Peak,  on  the  Coulterville  trail.  From  Mount  Bullion  the  view  to  the 
south  along  the  crest  of  the  Sierra  is  one  of  immense  extent,  the  eye  ranging 
for  a  hundred  miles,  as  far  as  the  head  of  the  Kern  and  King's  Rivers,  along 
a  serrated  line  of  peaks  from  12,000  to  15,000  feet  in  height.  This  view 
can  only  be  had,  as  a  rule,  early  in  the  season  ;  for,  later  than  ]May  or  June 
(according  to  the  season),  all  views,  from  points  not  high  up  in  the  Sien-a, 
begin  to  be  obscured  by  the  rising  cloud  of  smoke  and  dust,  which  gradually 
accumidates  during  the  summer,  and  finally  cuts  off  all  distant  objects. 

The  road  from  Bear  Valley  to  Mariposa  passes  through  a  region  which 
gives  as  good  an  idea  as  any  in  the  State  of  equal  extent  can  of  the 
peculiar  foot-hill  scenery  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  The  park-like  valley,  with 
scattered  oaks  and  pines,  the  latter  chiefly  of  Pimts  Sahiniana,  the  true 
foot-hill  pine ;  the  dark  chaparral-covered  hills ;   the  ground  almost  hidden  by 


THE   YOSEMITE  VALLEY.  55 

a  profusion  of  brilliant  flowers  and  flowering  shrnbs  in  the  spring,  biit  dry, 
brown  and  dusty  in  tlie  summer,  still,  however,  invested  with  a  certain  charm 
by  the  eternal  serenity  of  the  weather  ;  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun  and  the 
refreshing  coolness  of  the  breezy  shade  ;  the  nights  without  dew  or  dampness, 
and  the  days  without  clouds,  — these  are  the  prominent  features  of  the  lower 
belt  of  the  Sierra,  iip  to  3,000  or  4,000  feet  above  the  sea-level. 

At  Mormon  Bar  we  leave  the  Mariposa  Estate,  and,  traversing  a  not 
particularly  interesting,  but  particularly  dusty,  region  of  foot-hills,  crossing 
numerous  small  branches  of  the  Chowxhilla,  arrive,  after  twelve  miles  of 
riding,  at  White  and  Hatch's,  a  little  over  3,000  feet  above  the  sea-level. 
Here  we  begin  to  enter  the  real  mountain  region  of  the  Sierra,  to  find 
ourselves  among  the  tall  pitch  pines,  and  to  get  sniffs  of  cool  air  from  the 
snow-banks  above.  From  White  and  Hatch's  to  Clark's  the  trail  ascends 
the  Chowchilla  Creek,  and  then  crosses  a  high  ridge  forming  the  divide 
between  that  stream  and  the  waters  of  the  Merced.  Nearly  the  whole  way 
is  among  the  finest  forests  of  the  Sierra,  the  summit  on  the  trail  being 
about  2,800  feet  above  White  and  Hatch's.  To  the  left  of  the  trail  is  a 
high  granite  knob,  called  the  Devil's  Mountain,  not  easy  of  ascent,  but 
offering  a  fine  view  to  the  climber.  Fi'om  the  summit  the  road  descends 
rapidly,  crosses  Big  Creek,  a  branch  of  the  South  Foi-k  of  the  Merced,  rounds 
the  extremity  of  the  spur  which  separates  the  creek  from  the  river,  and 
reaches  Clark's  ranch,  on  the  banks  of  the  South  Merced,  after  a  descent 
of  about  1,700  feet  from  the  summit  of  the  trail. 

At  Clark's  ranch  we  are  nearly  at  the  same  elevation  as  the  Yosemite 
Valley,  which  lies  directly  noi'th  at  a  distance  of  only  twelve  miles  in  a 
direct  line.*  The  South  Fork  is  here  a  stream  60  to  80  feet  wide,  clear  as 
crystal,  and  heading  about  sixteen  miles  farther  up,  at  the  southeast  end 
of  the  Merced  Group.  Mr.  Clark  himself  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
country,  and  has  always  received  travellers  with  that  hearty  hospitality  and 
genuine  kindness  which  makes  them  feel  at  home.  The  accommodations  here, 
although  not  palatial,  are  well  suited  to  minister  to  comfort.  Here  travellers 
usually  remain  over  a  day,  to  visit  the  Big  Tree  Grove,  foiu-  miles  distant, 
of  which  more  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

*  Mr.  Clark's  house  is  65  feet  above  the  Lower  Hotel  in  the  Yosemite. 


/ 


5G  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

From  Clark's,  the  tniil  to  the  Yosemite  crosses  the  South  Fork  of  the 
Merced,  and  ascends  rapidly  on  to  the  plateau  which  lies  between  the  Main 
Merced  and  the  South  Fork.  After  about  six  miles'  travel,  i)rctty  steadily 
up-hill,  we  reach  Alder  Creek,  1,900  feet  above  Clark's,  and  follow  this  uj) 
about  a  mile  to  Empire  Camp,  not  now  inhabited,  attaining  here  an  elevation 
of  2,018  feet  above  Clark's,  or  about  0,000  feet  above  the  sea-level.  "We  are 
now  nearly  on  the  height  of  the  plateau,  and  follow  along  Alder  Cj-eek  to  its 
source  in  a  large  meadow,  known  as  Westfall's,  and  3,100  feet  above  Clark's, 
or  7,100  above  the  sea.  Here  are  two  houses,  AVestfall's  and  Ostrander's, 
sometimes  occupied  dm-iug  the  summer  by  herders  of  sheep,  and  which  have 
often  afforded  a  kind  of  shelter,  poor,  but  better  than  none,  to  persons 
overtaken  by  night,  or  too  much  fatigued  to  go  farther.  Usually,  however, 
this  is  the  lunch  place,  or  half-way  house  between  Clark's  and  the  Valley,  as 
will  be  easil}"  recognized  from  the  number  of  empty  tin  cans  lying  about. 
That  we  are  respectably  high  up  in  the  Sierra  is  rendered  evident  by  the 
predominance  of  the  Plnus  contorta,  a  rather  small  tree,  with  its  leaves  short 
and  in  pairs,  usually  called  "  tamarack  "  by  the  settlers.  This  and  the  noble 
firs  {Pkea   f/randis    and  amahilis)  form  here  almost  the  whole  of  the  forests. 

From  Ostrander's,  about  half  a  mile  northeast  of  "Westfall's,  a  trail  has 
been  lilazed  by  the  Geological  Survey  to  Sentinel  Dome,  of  which  more  in 
the  next  chapter.  Not  far  from  AVestfalFs  is  a  ridge,  easily  accessible,  from 
Avhich  a  fine  view  may  be  had  of  the  IMerced  Group  of  mountains ; 
Ostrander's  Rocks  (see  map)  are  also  an  excellent  point  from  which  to  survey 
the  country. 

From  "Westfall's  to  the  edge  of  the  Yosemite,  the  trail  passes  over  a 
rolling,  plateaii-like  country,  traversing  low  ridges  with  meadows  between,  and 
rising  in  its  highest  point  to  3,426  feet  above  Clark's,  or  7,400  above  the 
sea.  At  Inspiration  Point  the  traveller  gets  his  first  view  of  a  portion 
of  the  Yosemite,  and  here  we  will  leave  him,  while  we  enter  on  a  descri])tion 
of  the  Valley  itself,  leaving  the  account  of  this,  and  other  views  to  be 
had  from  the  outside  of  the  walls,  for  anotJier  place. 

The  Yosemite  Valley  is  nearly  in  the  centre  of  ilte  State  north  and  south, 
and  just  midway  between  the  east  and  west  bases  of  the  'Sierra,  here  a  little 
over  seventy  miles  wide.  Its  shape  and.  position  will  be  best  understood 
by    refen-ing    to    the    two    maps  which    acco*npany  this  volume.     One    is  that 


THE    YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  57 

prepared  by  Mr.  Gardner  for  the  Commissiouers,  and  including  only  the 
Valley  and  its  immediate  sin-roundings  ;  this  is  on  a  scale  of  two  inches 
to  a  mile.  The  other,  from  the  surveys  of  Messrs.  Hoffmann  and  Gardner, 
embraces  the  Valley  and  the  region  adjacent  for  twenty  miles  in  each 
direction;  the  scale  of  this  is  half  an  inch  to  a  mile.  The  Valley  is  a 
nearly  level  area,  about  six  miles  in  length  and  from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile 
in  width,  sunk  almost  a  mile  in  perpendicular  depth  below  the  general  level 
of  the  adjacent  region.  It'  may  be  roughly  likened  to  a  gigantic  trough 
hollowed  in  the  mountains,  nearly  at  right  angles  to  their  regular  trend ;  that 
is  to  say,  North  60°  East,  the  direction  of  the  axis  of  the  Sierra  being, 
as  before  stated.  North  31°  West.  This  trough,  as  will  be  seen  by  reference 
to  the  map,  is  quite  iiTegular,  having  several  re-entering  angles  and  square 
recesses,  let  back,  as  it  were,  into  its  sides  ;  still,  a  general  northeast-by- 
easterly  direction  is  maintained  in  the  depression,  until  we  arrive  near  its 
upper  end,  when  it  turns  sharply,  at  right-angles  almost,  and  soon  divides 
into  three  branches,  through  either  of  which  we  may,  going  up  a  series 
of  gigantic  steps,  as  it  were,  ascend  to  the  general  level  of  the  Sierra.  Down 
each  of  these  branches,  or  canons,  descend  streams,  forks  of  the  Merced, 
coming  down  the  steps  in  a  series  of  stupendous  waterfalls.  At  its  lower 
end,  the  Valley  contracts  into  a  narrow  gorge,  or  caiion,  with  steeply  inclined 
w.alls,  and  not  having  the  U  shape  of  the  Yosemite,  but  the  usual  V  form 
of  California  valleys. 

The  principal  features  of  the  Yosemite,  and  those  by  which  it  is  dis- 
tinguished from  all  other  known  valleys,  are  :  first,  the  near  approach  to 
verticality  of  its  walls  ;  second,  their  great  height,  not  only  absolutely,  but 
as  compared  with  the  width  of  the  Valley  itself;  and,  finally,  the  veiy  small 
amount  of  talus  or  debris  at  the  base  of  these  gigantic  clifts.  These  are  the 
great  characteristics  of  the  Yosemite  throughout  its  whole  length ;  but, 
besides  these,  there  are  many  other  striking  peculiarities,  and  features  both 
of  STiblimity  and  beauty,  which  can  hardly  be  surpassed,  if  equalled,  by  those 
of  any  mountain  valleys  in  the  world.  Either  the  domes  or  the  waterfalls 
of  the  Yosemite,  or  any  single  one  of  them  even,  would  be  sufficient  in  any 
European  countiy  to  attract  travellers  from  far  and  wide  in  all  directions. 
Waterfivlls  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Yosemite,  surpassing  in  beauty  many  of 
those  best  known  and  most  visited  in  Eui'ope,  are  actually  left  entirely 
8 


58  THE  YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

unnoticed    hy  travellers,  because    tliore    are    so  many  other  objects  of  interest 
to  be  visited  that  it  is  impossible  to  find  time  for  them  all. 

In  describing  the  Yosemite,  we  will  first  give  the  necessary  details  in  regard 
to  the  different  objects  of  interest  in  and  about  the  Valley,  followin<>-  it 
ujiward,  and  supposing  tlie  traveller  to  enter  from  the  Mariposa  side.  In 
doing  this,  we  will  point  out  the  prominent  ol)jects,  in  the  order  in  wliich 
they  present  themselves,  giving  the  statistics  of  their  elevation  and  dimen- 
sions, so  for  as  required  or  ascertained ;  after  this  has  been  done,  we  can 
enter  into  more  general  considerations  in  regard  to  the  Valley  and  its 
surroundings,  speaking  of  it  as  a  whole,  after  due  desci-ii)tion  of  its  parts. 

In  descending  the  Mariposa  trail,  a  steep  climb  of  2,973  feet*  down  to  the 
bottom  of  the  Valley,  the  traveller  has  presented  to  him  a  succession  of  views, 
all  of  which  range  over  the  whole  extent  of  the  principal  Valley,  revealing 
its  dominant  features,  while  at  each  new  point  of  view  he  is  brought  nearer, 
and,  as  it  were,  more  face  to  face  with  these  gigantic  objects.  The  principal 
points  seen  present  themselves  as  follows  :  on  the  left  is  El  Capitan,  on  the 
right  the  Bridal  Veil  Fall,  coming  down  on  the  back  side  of  the  Cathedral 
Rocks,  and  in  the  centre  the  view  of  the  Valley,  and  beyond  into  the  cafion 
of  the  Tenaya  Fork  of  the  Merced ;  the  point  of  the  Half  Dome  is  just 
visible  over  the  ridge  of  which  Sentinel  Rock  forms  a  part,  and  beyond  it,  in 
the  farthest  distance,  Cloud's  Rest  is  seen.  A  general  idea  of  the  Valley  can 
be  well  ol)tained  from  this  point,  and  in  one  view ;  but,  as  we  ride  up  between 
the  walls,  new  objects  are  constantly  becoming  visible,  which  at  the  lower 
end  were  entirely  concealed. 

Of  the  cliffs  around  the  Valley,  El  Capitan  and  the  Half  Dome  are  the 
most  striking;  the  latter  is  the  higher,  but  it  would  be  difficult  to  say 
whicli  conveys  to  the  mind  the  most  decided  imjDression  of  grandeur  and 
massiveness.  El  Capitan  is  an  immense  block  of  granite,  projecting  squarely 
out  into  the  Valley,  and  presenting  an  almost  vertical  sharp  edge,  3,300  feet 
in  elevation.  (See  Fig.  1.)  The  sides  or  Avails  of  the  mass  are  bare,  smooth, 
and  entirely  destitute  of  vegetation.  It  is  almost  impossible  for  the  observer 
to  comprehend  the  enormous  dimensions  of  this  rock,  which  in  clear  weather 
can  be  distinctly  seen  from  tlie  San  Joaquin  jjlains,  at  a  distance  of  fifty  or 
si.xty  miles.  Nothing,  liowever,  so  helps  to  a  realization  of  the  magnitude 
of  these   masses   about    the    Yosemite   as    climbino:   around   and    amonc:   them. 


THE   YOSEMITE    VALLEY. 


Fio 


EL   CAPITAN  AND   THE    BRIDAL  VEIL   FALL. 


Let  the  visitor  begin  to  ascend  the  pile  of  debris  which  lies  at  the  base  of 
El  Capitan,  and  he  will  soon  find  his  ideas  enlarged  on  the  point  in  questi<:>n. 
And  yet  these  debris  piles  along  the  cliffs,  and  especially  under  El  Capitan, 
are  of  insignificant  size  compared  with  the  dimensions  of  the  solid  wall  itself. 
They  are  hardly  noticeable  in  taking  a  general  view  of  the  Valley.  El  Capitan 
imposes  on  vis  by  its  stupendous  bulk,  which  seems  as  if  hewed  from  the 
mountains  on  purpose  to  stand  as  the  type  of  eternal  massiveness.  It  is 
doubtful  if  anywhere  in  the  world  there  is  presented  so  squarely  cut,  so  lofty, 
and  so   imposing  a  face    of  rock. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  Valley  we  have  the  Bridal  Veil  Fall,  unques- 
tionably one  of  the  most  beautiful  objects  in  the  Yosemite.  It  is  formed 
by  the    creek    of   the    same    name,  which    rises    a    few  miles    east    of   Empire 


00  THE   YOSEMITE    GUIDE-BOOK. 

Camp,  runs  thnrngh  the  iiicadows  at  AVestfairs,  and  is  finally  precipitated 
over  the  dirt's,  on  the  west  side  of  Cathedral  Rock,  into  the  Yosemite,  in  one 
leap  of  G30  feet  jjerpendicular.  The  water  strikes  here  on  a  sloping  pile 
of  debris,  down  which  it  rushes  in  a  series  of  cascades  for  a  perpendicular 
distance  of  nearly  300  feet  more,  the  total  height  of  the  edge  of  the  fall 
above  the  meadow  at  its  base  being  900  feet.  The  eftect  of  the  fall,  as 
everywhere  seen  from  the  Valley,  is  as  if  it  were  900  feet  in  vertical  hei<;ht, 
its  base  being  concealed  by  the  trees  which  surround  it.  The  quantitv  of 
water  in  the  Bridal  Veil  Fall  varies  greatly  with  the  season.  In  May  and 
June  the  amount  is  generally  at  the  maximxim,  and  it  gi-adually  decreases  as 
the  summer  advances.  The  effect,  however,  is  finest  when  the  body  of 
water  is  not  too  hea\'y,  since  then  the  swaying  from  side  to  side,  and  the 
waving  under  the  varying  pressiu-e  of  the  wind,  as  it  strikes  the  long  column 
of  water,  is  more  marked.  As  seen  from  a  distance  at  such  times,  it  seems 
to  flutter  like  a  white  veil,  i:)roducing  an  indesci'ibably  beautiful  eftect.  The 
name  "  Bridal  Veil "  is  poetical,  b\it  foirly  appropriate.  The  stream  which 
supplies  this  fall  heads  low  down  in  the  Sierra,  far  below  the  region  of 
eternal  snow ;  hence,  as  summer  advances,  the  supply  of  water  is  rapidly 
diminished,  and,  by  the  middle  or  end  of  Juh',  there  is  only  a  small 
streamlet  trickling  down  the  vertical  face  of  the  rock,  over  which  it  is 
precipitated  in  a  bold  cm've  when  the  quantity  of  water  is  larger.  At  the 
highest  stage,  the  stream  divides  into  a  dozen  streamlets  at  the  base  of 
the  fall,  several  of  which  are  only  just  fordable  on  horseback. 

The  Virgin's  Tears  Creek,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Valle}',  and  directly 
opposite  the  Bridal  Veil,  makes  also  a  fine  fall,  over  a  thousand  feet  high, 
included  in  a  deep  recess  of  the  rocks  near  the  lower  corner  of  El  Capitan. 
This  is  a  beautiful  fall  as  long  as  it  lasts ;  but  the  stream  which  produces  it 
dries  up  early  in  the  season.  In  quantity  of  water,  elevation,  and  general 
effect,  this  fall,  hardly  spoken  of  at  the  Yosemite  among  so  many  gi-ander 
ones,  is  far  superior  to  the  celebrated  Staubbach  of  Switzerland. 

Proceeding  up  the  Valle}',  we  find  on  the  same  side  as  the  Bridal  Veil, 
and  a  little  above  it,  the  prominent  and  massively  sculptured  pile  of  granite, 
to  which  the  name  of  Cathedral  Rock  has  been  given.  (See  Fig.  2.) 
In  this  view  the  !Merced  River  occupies  the  foreground ;  the  trees  in  the 
middle  ground   are    pitch    pines   from   125   to   150  feet  high,  and  those  which 


THE   YOSEMITE    VALLEY. 


61 


Fig.  2. 


CATHEDRAL    ROCK. 


seem  to  fringe  the  summit  of  Cathedral  Kock  hke  small  Inishes  are,  in 
reality,  firs  and  pines,  as  tall  as  those  in  the  Valley,  or  even  taller.  Cathedral 
Rock  is  not  so  high  nor  so  massive  as  El  Capitan,  nor  are  its  sides  quite  as 
nearly  vertical.  The  summit  is  2,660  feet  above  the  Valley.  Just  beyond 
Cathedral  Rock,  on  the  same  side,  are  the  graceful  pinnacles  of  rock  called 
"  The  Spires."  These  spires  are  isolated  columns  of  granite,  at  least  500  feet 
high,  standing  out  from,  Imt  connected  at  the  base  with,  the  -walls  of  the 
Valley.  They  are  kept  in  obscurity,  or  brought  out  into  Avondei-ful  relief, 
according  to  the  different  way  the  light  or  shadow  falls  upon  them.  The 
whole  side  of  the  Valley,  along  this  part  of  it,  is  fantastically  but  exquisitely 
carved  out  into  forms  of  gigantic  proportions,  which  anywhere  else,  except  in 


62  THE   YO.SEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

the  Yoscmite,  would  ])e  considered  objects  of  the  gi'eatest  interest.  From  one 
point  of  view,  these  spires  appear  synnuetrical,  of  equal  height,  squarely  cut, 
and  rising  above  the  edge  of  the  cliff  behind  exactly  like  two  towers  of  a 
Gothic  cathedral. 

The  next  prominent  olijeot,  in  going  up  the  Valley,  is  the  triple  grouj) 
of  rocks  known  as  the  Three  Brothers.  These  rise  in  steps  one  behind  the 
other,  the  highest  being  3,830  feet  above  the  Valley.  From  the  summit 
of  this,  there  is  a  superb  view  of  the  Valley  and  its  surroundings.  The 
pecidiar  outline  of  these  rocks,  as  seen  from  below,  resembling  three  frogs 
sitting  with  their  heads  turned  in  one  direction,  is  supposed  to  have  sug- 
gested the  Indian  name  Pompompasus,  which  means,  we  are  informed, 
"  Leaping  Frog  Rocks." 

Nearly  opposite  the  Three  Brothers  is  a  point  of  rocks  projecting  into 
the  Valley,  the  termination  of  wdiich  is  a  slender  mass  of  granite,  having 
something  the  shape  of  an  obelisk,  and  called,  from  its  peculiar  position, 
or  from  its  resemblance  to  a  gigantic  watch-tower,  the  "  Sentinel  Rock."  Its 
form  may  be  seen  in  Fig.  3,  which  was  taken  from  a  point  on  the  Merced 
somewhat  farther  down  the  Valley.  The  obelisk  form  of  the  Sentinel 
continues  down  for  a  thousand  feet  or  more  from  its  summit  ;  below  that  it 
is  united  with  the  wall  of  the  Valley.  Its  entire  height  above  the  river  at 
its  base  is  3,04:3  feet.  This  is  one  of  the  grandest  masses  of  rock  in  the 
Yosemite. 

From  near  the  foot  of  Sentinel  Rock,  looking  direct!}"  across  the  Valley,  we 
have  before  us  what  probably  most  persons  will  admit  to  be,  if  not  the  most 
stupendous,  at  least  the  most  attractive  feature  of  the  Yosemite ;  namely, 
"  the  Yosemite  Fall "  par  excellence,  that  one  of  all  the  falls  about  the  Valley 
which  is  best  entitled  to  bear  that  name.  The  woodcut,  Plate  1,  was  taken 
among  a  group  of  oaks  near  the  Lower  Hotel,  a  point  of  A'icw  directly  in 
front,  and  from  which  the  various  parts  seem  most  thoroughly  to  be  blended 
into  one  whole  of  surprising  attractiveness.  Even  the  finest  photograph  is, 
however,  uttei'ly  inadequate  to  convey  to  the  mind  any  satisfactory  impression 
or  realization  of  how  many  of  the  elements  of  grandeur  and  beauty  are 
combined  in  this  waterfall  and  its  surroundings  and  accessories.  The  first 
and  most  impressive  of  these  elements  is,  as  in  all  other  objects  about  the 
Yosemite,  vertical    height.     In    this    it    surpasses,  it    is    believed,  any  waterMl 


THE    YOSEMITE    VALLEY. 


63 


Fig.  3. 


SENTINEL   ROCK. 


in  the  world  with  anything  like  an  equal  body  of  water.  And  all  the 
accessories  of  this  fall  are  of  a  chai'acter  worthy  of,  and  commensurate  with, 
its  height,  so  that  evei'ything  is  added,  which  can  be,  to  augment  the 
impression  which  the  descent  of  so  large  a  mass  of  water  from  such  a  height 
could  not  fail,  by  itself,  to  produce. 

The  Yosemite  Fall  is  formed  by  a  creek  of  the  same  name,  which  heads 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Mount  Hoffmann  Group,  about  ten  miles  northeast 
of  the  Valley.  Being  fed  by  melting  snows  exclusively,  and  running  through 
its  whole  course  over  almost  bare  granite  rock,  its  volume  varies  greatly  at 
different    times    and    seasons,    according    to    the    amount    of    snow    remaining 


64  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

unmc'ltcd,  the  temperature  of  the  uir  and  the  clearness  or  cloudhicss  of  the 
weather.  In  the  spring,  when  the  snow  first  begins  to  melt  with  rapidity, 
the  volume  of  water  is  very  great ;  as  ordinarily  seen  by  visitors  in  the  most 
fovorable  portion  of  the  season,  —  say  from  May  to  July,  —  the  quantity  will 
be  about  that  represented  in  the  wood-cut  ;  still  later,  it  shrinks  down 
to  a  very  much  smaller  v(-)lume.  We  estimated  the  size  of  the  stream  at  the 
summit  of  the  fall,  at  a  medium  stage  of  water,  to  be  twenty  feet  in  Avidth 
and  two  feet  in  average  depth.  Mr.  J.  F.  Houghton  measured  the  Yosemite 
Creek  below  the  ftill  June  17th,  1805,  and  foiuid  it  to  be  thirty-seven  feet 
wide  and  twenty-five  inches  deep,  with  the  velocity  of  about  a  mile  an  hour, 
giving  about  half  a  million  cubic  feet  as  passing  over  the  fall  in  an  hour.* 
At  the  highest  stage  of  water  there  is  probably  three  times  as  much  as  this. 
The  vertical  height  of  the  lip  of  the  fall  above  the  Valle}'  is,  in  round 
numbers,  2,600  feet,  our  various  mcasui'ements  giving  from  2,537  to  2,041, 
the  discrepancies  being  due  to  the  fact  that  a  near  approach  to,  or  a  jjrecise 
definition  of,  the  place  where  the  perpendicular  portion  of  the  fall  commences 
is  not  possible.  The  lip  or  edge  of  the  fall  is  a  great  rounded  mass  of 
gi'anite,  polished  to  the  last  degree,  on  which  it  was  found  to  be  a  very 
hazardous  matter  to  move.  A  diftereuce  of  a  hundred  feet,  in  a  fall  of  this 
height,  would  be  entirely  imperceptible  to  most  eyes. 

The  fall  is  not  in  one  perpendicular  sheet.  There  is  first  a  vertical  descent 
of  1,500  feet,  when  the  water  strikes  on  what  seems  to  be  a  projecting  ledge ; 
but  which,  in  reality,  is  a  shelf  or  recess,  almost  a  third  of  a  mile  back  from 
the  front  of  the  lower  portion  of  the  cliff.  From  here  the  water  finds  its 
way,  in  a  series  of  cascades,  down  a  descent  equal  to  026  feet  perpendicular, 
and  then  gives  one  final  plunge  of  about  400  feet  on  to  a  low  talus  of  rocks 
at  the  base  of  the  precipice.  The  whole  arrangement  and  succession  of  the 
different  parts  of  the  fall  can  be  easily  understood  by  ascending  to  the  base 
of  the  Upper  Fall,  which  is  a  very  interesting  and  not  a  difficult  climb, 
or  from  Sentinel  Dome,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Valley,  where  the 
spectator    is    at    a    considerable    distance    above    its    edge,  t     As    the    various 

*  Our  measurements  gave  about  220  cubic  feet  as  the  amount  of  water  passing  over  the  fall  in 
one  second. 

t  The  exact  distance  from  the  Sentinel  Dome  across  in  a  straight  line  to  the  edge  of  the  Upper 
Yosemite  Fall  is  two  and  a  half  miles. 


THE   YOSEMITE   VALLEY.  65 

portions  of  the  fall  are  nearly  in  one  vertical  plane,  the  effect  of  the  whole 
is  nearly  as  grand,  and  perhaps  even  more  picturesque,  than  it  would  be 
if  the  descent  were  made  in  one  leap  fi'om  the  top  of  the  cliff  to  the  level 
of  the  Valley,  Nor  is  the  grandeur  or  beauty  of  the  full  perceptibly 
diminished,  by  even  a  very  considerable  diminution  of  the  quantity  of  water 
from  its  highest  stage.  One  of  the  most  striking  features  of  the  Yosemite 
Fall  is  the  vibration  of  the  upper  portion  from  one  side  to  the  other,  under 
the  varying  pressure  of  the  wind,  w^hich  acts  with  inmiense  force  on  so  long 
a  column.  The  descending  mass  of  water  is  too  great  to  allow  of  its  being 
entirely  broken  \ip  into  spray ;  but  it  widens  out  very  much  towards  the 
bottom, — proliably  to  as  much  as  300  feet,  at  high  water,  the  space  through 
which  it  moves  being  fully  three  times  as  wide.  This  vibratory  motion 
of  the  Yosemite  and  Bridal  Veil  Mis  is  something  peculiar,  and  not  observed 
in  any  others,  so  for  as  we  know  ;  the  effect  of  it  is  indescribably  grand, 
especially  under  the  magical  illumination  of  the  full  moon. 

The  cliff  a  little  east  of  the  Yosemite  Fall  rises  in  a  bold  peak  to  the 
height  of  3,030  feet  above  the  Valley  ;  it  can  be  reached  up  Indian  Canon, 
a  little  farther  east,  and  from  this  point  a  magnificent  view  of  the  whole 
region  can  be  obtained.  The  ascent  to  the  summit  of  the  fall  and  the 
return  to  the  Valley  can  be  made  in  one  day,  but  only  by  good  mountain 
climbers. 

Following  up  the  Valley  for  about  two  miles  above  the  Yosemite  Falls,  we 
find  that  the  main  portion  of  it  comes  to  an  end,  and  that  it  suddenly 
branches  out  in  three  distinct  but  much  nan-ower  cations,  as  they  would 
be  called  by  Californians,  each  of  which,  however,  has  some  new  wonders 
to  disclose.  The  Merced  River  keeps  the  middle  one  of  these,  and  its  course 
is  here  about  the  same  that  it  was  below,  or  nearly  west ;  it  holds  this 
direction  nearly  up  to  the  base  of  the  Mount  Lyell  Group,  where  it  heads, 
between  the  main  crest  of  the  Sierra  and  the  parallel  subordinate  or  side 
range  called  by  us  the  Merced  or  Obelisk  Group.  In  the  left  hand,  or 
northwesterly  canon,  the  Tenaya  Fork  of  the  Merced  comes  down,  and  in  the 
right  hand,  or  southwesterly  one,  the  South  Fork,*  or  the  Illilouette. 

*  This  is  the  "  South  Fork  of  the  Middle  Fork,"  and  not  the  main  South  Fork,  which  flows  by- 
Clark's  Eanch.      To  avoid  confusion,  it  will  be  well  to  call  it  by  the  Indian  name,  Illilouette,  one  not 
yet  much  in  use  in  the  Valley. 
9 


66 


THE    YdSKMlTE    (iUIDE-BOOK. 


At  the  angle  where  the  Yoseiuite  brandies  we  have,  on  the  north  side,  the 
roxuidcd  cohimnar  mass  of  rock  called  the  Washington  Column,  and  imrae- 
diateh'  to  the  left  of  it  the  immense  arched  cavity  called  the  "  Royal 
Arches,"  and  over  these  is  seen  the  dome-shaped  mass  called  the  North 
Dome,  shown  in  Fig.  4. 

Fig.  4. 


THE   NORTH   DOME. 


The  North  Dome,  rising  to  3,568  feet  above  the  Valle}^,  is  one  of  those 
rounded  masses  of  granite  which  are  not  uncommon  in  the  Sierra  Nevada. 
These  dome-shaped  masses  are  somew^hat  characteristic  of  all  granitic  regions, 
but  are  nowhere  developed  on  so  gi'and  a  scale  as  in  the  Sierra.  An 
examination  of  the  figure  wull  show  that  the  North  Dome  is  made  up  of 
huge  concentric  plates  of  rock,  overlapping  each  other,  in  such  a  way  as  to 
absolutely  prevent  an  ascent  on  the  side  presented  to  the  Valley ;  to  the 
north,    however,    the    Dome    runs    out    in    a    long    ridge,    as    represented    on 


*«^-l 


THE    YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  67 

the    map,  aud    from    that    side    there    is  not  the  shghtest  difficulty  in  getting 
to  the  smnmit. 

The  concentric  structure  of  the  North  Dome  is  well  seen  in  the  Royal 
Arches,  which  are,  in  fact,  a  sort  of  appendage  to  its  base.  This  peculiarity 
of  striicture  pervades  the  whole  mass  of  rock,  and  it  is  evident  that  these 
arches  have  been  formed  by  the  slipping  down  of  immense  plates  of  granite, 
the  size  of  the  cavity  thus  left  being  enormous,  but  not  easily  measured. 
The  arches  and  the  column,  at  the  angle  of  the  main  Valley  and  the  Tenaya 
Canon,  seem  as  if  intended  to  form  a  base  of  adequate  magnitude  and 
grandeiu"  for  the  support  of  the  Dome  which  rests  upon  them. 

The  Half  Dome,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Tenaya  Canon,  is  the  loftiest 
and  most  imposing  mass  of  those  considered  as  part  of  the  Yosemite.  It  is 
not  so  high  as  Cloud's  Rest,  but  the  latter  seems  rather  to  belong  to  the 
Sierra  than  to  the  Yosemite.  The  Half  Dome  is  in  sight,  in  the  distance, 
as  we  descend  the  Mariposa  trail,  but  is  not  visible  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  Valley  itself;  it  is  seen  first  when  we  come  to  the  meadow  opposite 
Hutchings's.  The  form  of  the  Half  Dome  may  be  iinderstood  from  Fig.  5 
and  Plate  II.  In  the  one  it  is  seen  flatwise  or  in  front,  from  below ;  and  in 
the  other  nearly  edgewise,  from  above.  It  is  a  crest  of  gi*anite,  rising  to  the 
height  of  4,737  feet  above  the  Valley,  perfectly  inaccessible,  being  probably 
the  only  one  of  all  the  prominent  points  about  the  Yosemite  which  never 
has  been,  and  never  will  be,  trodden  by  human  foot.  The  summit  of  the 
Half  Dome  runs  in  a  northeast  and  southwest  direction,  parallel  with  the 
canon  ;  it  rises  on  the  southwest  side  with  a  gTand,  regular  dome-like  form, 
but  falls  off"  rapidly  in  a  series  of  steps  as  it  descends  to  the  northeast.  At 
right  angles  with  this,  or  crosswise  of  the  mass,  the  section  is  very  peculiar. 
On  the  side  fronting  Tenaya  Canon,  it  is  absolutely  vertical  for  2,000  feet 
or  more  from  the  summit,  and  then  falls  off"  with  a  very  steep  slojje,  of 
probably  60  or  70  degrees,  to  the  bottom  of  the  cailon.  This  slope, 
however,  is  not,  as  one  would  suppose,  a  talus  of  fi-agments  fallen  from 
above ;  it  is  a  mass  of  gi-anite  rock,  part  and  parcel  of  the  solid  structure 
of  the  Dome  ;  the  real  debris  pile  at  the  bottom  is  absohitely  insignificant 
in  dimensions  compared  with  the  Dome  itself.  On  the  opposite  face  the  Half 
Dome  is  not  absolutely  vertical ;  it  has  a  rounded  form  at  the  top,  and 
gi'ows  more  and  more  steep  at  the  bottom.     In  Plate  II.  we  see  only  the  top 


68 


THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 


Fig.  5. 


THE   HALF    DOME. 


of  the  Half  Dome  and  a  portion  of  the  back,  the  view  being  taken  from 
a  point  not  exjfctly  in  a  hne  with  its  edge.  The  whole  appearance  of  the 
mass  is  that  of  an  originally  dome-shaped  elevation,  with  an  exceedingly 
steep  cni-ve,  of  "which  the  western  half  has  been  split  off"  and  become 
engulfed.  This  geological  theory  of  its  formation  appears  to  have  forced 
itself  npon  those  who  gave  it  the  name  "  Half  Dome,"  which  is  one  that 
seems  to  suggest  itself,  at  the  first  sight  of  this  truly  marvellous  crest  of 
rock.  From  the  i;pper  part  of  the  Valley,  and  from  all  the  heights  about 
it,  the  Half  Dome  presents  itself  as  an  object  of  the  most  imposing  gi'andeiu-. 
It  has  not  the  massiveness  of  El  Capitan,  but  is  more  astonishing,  and 
probably  there  are  few  visitors  to  the  Valley  who  would  not  concede  to  it 
the  first  place  among  all  the  wonders  of  the  region.  Even  the  most  casual 
observer  must  recognize  in  it  a  new  revelation  of   mountain  grandeur.     Those 


THE   YOSEMITE   VALLEY.  69 

who  have  not  seen  it  conld  never  comprehend  its  extraordinary  form  and 
proportions,  not  even  with  the  aid  of  photographs.  It  is  cntirel}'  \mique 
in  the  Sierra  Nevada ;  and,  so  fixr  as  we  know,  in  the  world.  The  only- 
possible  rival  would  be  the  Matterhorn.  Each  is  tmique  in  its  way ;  but  the 
forms  of  the  two  are  so  different  that  they  will  hardly  bear  comparison. 

Farther  up  the  cafion  of  the  Tenaya  is  a  beautiful  little  lake  called 
"  Mirror  Lake,"  an  expansion  of  the  Tenaya  Fork.  It  is  frequently  visited, 
and  best  eaidy  in  the  morning,  for  the  purpose  of  getting  the  reflection  from 
its  unruffled  surface  of  a  nol)le  overhanging  mass  of  rock,  to  which  the  name 
of  Mount  Watkins  has  been  given,  as  a  compliment  to  the  photographer  who 
has  done  so  much  to  attract  attention  to  this  region. 

Still  farther  iip  the  Tenaya  Fork,  on  the  right-hand  side,  is  "Cloud's 
Rest,"  the  somewhat  fanciful  designation  of  a  long,  bare,  steep,  and  extremely 
elevated  granite  ridge,  which  connects  the  Valley  with  the  High  Sierra. 
This  point  is  one  of  the  few  which  have  not  been  measured  by  the  Geological 
Survey;  it  is  perhaps  a  thousand  feet  higher  than  the  Half  Dome,  or  nearly 
10,000  feet  above  the  sea-level. 

Following  up  the  Tenaya  Fork  caiion,  we  find  the  creek  coming  down  in  a 
series  of  cascades  and  waterfalls  through  an  almost  impassable  gorge ;  but 
through,  which  access  may  be  had,  by  good  climbers,  to  the  trail  from  Big 
Oak  Flat  to  Mono  Lake.     It  is,  however,  not  passable  for  animals. 

We  return  now  to  the  cailon  of  the  main  Merced  River,  which  also  has 
its  own  peculiar  wonders  to  disclose.  Leaving  the  Yosemite  Valley  proper, 
at  the  angle  spoken  of  before,  where  the  three  canons  unite,  we  follow  up 
the  Merced,  soon  crossing  the  Illilouette,  which  carries  perhaps  a  third 
or  a  quarter  as  much  water  as  the  main  river.  Rising  rapidly  on  a  trail 
which  runs  along  near  the  river,  over  the  fnlus  of  gi-eat  angular  masses 
fallen  from  above,  we  ride  a  little  less  than  a  mile,  and  nearly  to  the  base 
of  the  first  of  the  two  gi-eat  falls  made  by  the  Merced  in  cOming  down 
from  the  level  of  the  plateau  above  into  the  Yosemite  Valley.  In  doing 
this,  the  river  descends,  in  two  miles,  over  2,000  feet,  making,  besides  innu- 
merable cascades,  two  grand  falls,  which  are  among  the  greater  attractions 
of  the  Yosemite,  not  only  on  accoimt  of  their  height  and  the  large  body 
of  water  in  the  river  dm-ing  most  of  the  season,  but  also  on  account  of 
the    stupendous    scenery    in    the    midst    of  which    they   are    placed. 


70  THE  YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

The  first  fall  reached  in  ascending  the  canon  is  the  Vernal,  a  perpendicular 
sheet  of  water  with  a  descent  varying  greatly  with  the  season.  Our  measure- 
ments give  all  the  way  from  315  to  475  feet  for  the  vertical  height  of 
the  fall,  between  the  montlis  of  June  and  October.  The  reason  of  these 
discrepancies  seems  to  lie  in  the  fact  that  tlie  rock  near  the  bottom  is 
steeply  inclined,  so  that  a  precise  definition  of  the  ])lace  where  the  perpen- 
dicular part  ceases  is  very  difficult  amid  the  blinding  S])ra3-  and  foam.  As 
the  bod}'^  of  water  increases,  the  force  of  the  fall  is  greater,  and  of  course 
it  is  thrown  fiarthest  forward  when  the  mass  of  water  is  gi-eatest.  Probably 
it  is  near  the  triith  to  call  the  height  of  the  full,  at  the  average  stage 
of  water  in  June  or  July,  400  feet.  The  rock  behind  this  fall  is  a  perfectly 
square  cut  mass  of  granite  extending  across  the  canon,  and  it  is  wonderful 
to  see,  at  low  water,  how  little  the  eroding  effect  of  the  river  has  had  to  do 
with  the  formation  of  the  canon  and  fall.  It  would  seem  as  if  causes  now 
in  action  had  little  or  nothing  to  do  with  the  formation  of  this  step  in 
the  descent  of  the  Merced  to  any  Valley  below.  In  Plate  11.  we  see  the 
Vernal  Fall  in  the  distance,  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  centre  of  the  picture  ; 
beyond  it,  and  still  a  little  flxrther  to  the  right,  is  Mount  Broderick  or  the 
"Cap  of  Liberty." 

The  path  up  the  side  of  the  caiion  near  the  fall  winds  around  and  along 
a  steeply  sloping  mountain-side,  always  wet  with  the  spray,  and  consequently 
rather  slippery  in  places.  Ladies,  however,  find  no  great  difficvdty  in  passing, 
with  the  aid  of  friendly  arms,  and  protected  by  stout  boots  and  india-rubber 
clothing  brought  from  the  hotel.  The  perpendicular  part  of  the  ascent  is 
surmounted  by  the  aid  of  ladders,  which  should  be  replaced  by  a  substantial 
and  well-protected  staircase.  At  the  summit  of  the  fall  the  view  down  the 
caiion,  as  well  as  in  the  opposite  direction,  is  extremely  fine.  A  remarkable 
parapet  of  gi-anite  runs  along  the  edge  of  the  Vernal  Fall  for  some  distance, 
just  breast-high,  and  looking  as  if  made  on  purpose  to  afford  the  visitor  a 
secure  position  from  which  to  enjoy  the  scene. 

From  the  Vernal  Fall  up  stream,  for  the  distance  of  about  a  mile,  the 
river  may  be  followed,  and  it  ])resents  a  succession  of  cascades  and  rapids 
of  great  beauty.  As  we  approach  the  Nevada  Fall,  the  last  great  one  of  the 
Merced,  we  have  at  every  step  something  new  and  impressive.  The  view 
represented    in   the   annexed  woodcut    (Fig.    6)  was   taken   a  little   above  the 


THE    YOSKMITE  VALLEY. 


71 


summit  of  the  Vernal  Fall  ;  it  represents  the  Nevada  Fall,  as  seen  at  the 
distance  of  something  less  than  a  mile,  and  on  the  left  as  much  of  the  mass 
of   the    Cap    of    Liberty  as    could    l)e    included  in  the  picture.      This  latter  is 


Fi2.  6. 


THE   CAP  OF    LIBERTY   AND   THE   NEVADA   FALL. 


a  gi'and  mass  of  rock,  isolated  and  nearly  perpendicular  on  all  sides,  rising 
perhaps  2,000  feet  above  its  base,  and  little  inferior  to  the  Half  Dome  in 
grandeur.  It  has  been  climbed,  and  has  on  its  snmmit,  according  to  Mr. 
Hutchings's  statement,  a  juniper-tree  of  enormous  diameter. 

The  Nevada  Fall  is,  in  ever}'  respect,  one  of  the  gi'andest  watei-fiills  in  the 
world,  whether  we  consider  its  vertical  height,  the  purity  and  volume  of  the 
river  which  forms  it,  or  the  stupendous  scenery  by  which  it  is  envi)-oned. 
The  fall  is  not  quite  perpendicular,  as  there  is  near  the  sununit  a  ledge 
of  rock  which  i-eceives  a  portion  of  the  water  and  throws  it  off  with  a  peciUiar 
twist,    adding   considerably    to    the    general    picturesque    effect    (see    woodcut). 


72  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

A  detonninatioii  of  the  lioijrlit  of  the  fall  was  not  easy,  on  account  of  the 
blinding  s])rav  at  the  bottom,  and  the  uncertainty  of  the  exact  spot  where 
the  water  strikes.  Indeed,  this  seems  to  vary  in  the  Nevada  as  well,  although 
not  so  much,  as  in  the  Vernal  Fall.  Our  measm-ements  made  the  Nevada 
from  591  to  G39  feet,  at  different  times  and  seasons.  To  call  the  Vernal 
400  and  the  Nevada  600  feet,  in  round  numbers,  will  be  near  enough  to  the 
truth.  The  descent  of  the  river  in  the  rapids  between  the  two  falls  is  nearly 
300  feet. 

In  the  canon  of  the  tSouth  Fork,  or  Illilouctte,  there  is  a  fine  Ml  estimated 
at  600  feet  high.  It  is  seen  from  a  point  on  the  trail  from  the  Hotel  to 
Min-or  Lake,  although  but  rarely  visited  by  travellers,  the  canon  being  rough 
and  difficult  to  climb.  A  trail  should  be  made  up  this  gorge,  to  give  access 
to  the  fall,  and  to  the  superb  views  to  be  had  of  the  back  of  the  Half 
Dome,  the  Vernal  Fall,  and  other  interesting  points. 

Having  thus  run  rapidly  through  the  list  of  objects  in  the  Valley  best 
known  and  most  likely  to  be  visited,  we  will  give  a  more  systematic  and 
general  account  of  the  Yosemite,  —  its  botany,  topography,  and  geology  ;  this 
will  enable  us  to  bring  forward  some  interesting  considerations  which  could 
not  so  well  be  introduced  in  a  detailed  enumeration,  in  a  geographical  order, 
of  the  points  of  interest. 

The  Yosemite  Valley,  proper  —  that  is  to  say,  what  would  be  considered 
by  the  visitor  as  naturally  included  under  that  designation  —  may  be  described 
as  consisting  of  three  parts,  the  bottom  of  the  Valley,  or  the  actual  Valley, 
the  talus  or  debris  slope,  and  the  walls,  or  the  vertical  or  nearly  vertical  solid 
rock.  Each  of  these  parts  will  he  noticed  in  order.  First,  the  bottom,  or 
Valley  proper.  This  is  a  nearly  level  area,  having  a  gentle  slope,  Avith  the 
river,  to  the  southwest,  of  only  35  feet  between  the  junctions  of  the  Tenaya 
Fork  and  the  Bridal  Veil  Creek  with  the  main  river,  four  miles  and  a  half 
in  a  straight  line.  The  width  of  the  space  between  the  debris  slopes  is  very 
variable.  In  the  u]jper  half  of  the  Valley  it  averages  somewhat  less  than 
half  a  mile.  A  little  below  the  Three  Brothers  it  closes  to  an  eighth  of  a 
mile  in  width;  and  between  El  Capitan  and  Cathedral  Rock  the  river 
"canons,"  to  use  a  California  phrase,  meaning  that  the  Valley  is  narrowed 
down,  so  that  there  is  only  just  room  for  the  river  to  pass.  Below  this, 
it  opens   out    again,  and   forms    two    charming    little    patches    of  meadow,  of 


THE    YOSEMITE   VALLEY.  73 

about  20  acres  each  in  extent.  There  are,  altogether,  1,141  acres  of  land 
in  the  Valley  proper,  of  which  _745__ara_nieado\v,  and  the  remainder  a  sandy 
soil,  a  little  more  elevated,  partly  covered  with  a  sparse  growth  of  forest 
trees  and  partly  with  pertinacious  ferns.  The  elevation  of  the  bottom  of  the 
Valley  above  the  sea-level  is,  in  i-ouud  numbers,  4,000  feet.  The  mean  of 
our  observations,  in  June,  was  4,04(3  feet ;  those  taken  by  Miss  Sproat, 
in  October,  gave,  as  calculated  by  Colonel  R.  S.  Williamson,  3,935  feet.  The 
mean  of  these  results  is  3,990  feet,  and  that  is  probably  not  far  from  the 
truth.  Through  the  Valley  flows  the  Merced  River,  about  70  feet  in  width, 
making  many  sharp  and  curiously  angular  bends,  touching  the  talus  first  on 
one  side  and  then  on  the  other. 

Along  the  banks  of  the  riA^er,  and  over  the  adjacent  rather  swampy 
meadows,  we  find  a  somewhat  varied  vegetation,  according  to  the  locality-, 
the  narrow  portions  of  the  Valley  differing  considerably  from  the  broader 
ones.  In  the  former,  near  the  falls,  there  is  a  dense  growth  of  alder  (Almis 
viridis),  which  sometimes  forms  quite  a  large  tree,  with  ash-colored  bark ; 
associated  with  this  are  small  trees  of  Rhamnits  Menziesii,  remarkable  for  its 
large  and  sombre  leaves.  A  few  willows,  the  Douglas  spruce  (Abies  Douglasii), 
and,  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Valley,  an  occasional  sugar  pine,  are  also  found 
in  this  position.  Where  the  Valley  widens  out,  and  the  river  banks  become 
lower,  so  that  sloughs  and  swamps  are  formed,  the  Balm  of  Gilead  poplar 
(Populus  halsamifera)  comes  in  ;  this  is  a  common  tree  in  the  Valley,  and  is 
usually  mistaken  for  the  Cottonwood ;  with  this  occiu*  large  willows  and 
abundance  of  the  Douglas  spruce,  and  also  the  Azalea  occidentaUs,  whose 
superb  white  and  fragrant  flowers  form  one  of  the  charms  of  the  Valley. 
Hellenium  grandifloruvi,  Nutt.,  with  its  numerous  yellow  flowers,  is  a  sho^wy 
and  conspicuous  plant  on  and  near  the  river  banks.  The  meadows  are 
swampy,  with  a  deep  peaty  soil ;  their  vegetation  consists  chiefly  of  carices 
or  sedges  and  a  few  coarse  grasses  {Calamagrostis  Canadensis,  Beauv.,  Phrag- 
mites  communis,  L.,  Glyceria  nervata,  Trin.).  In  a  small  pond  on  Mr. 
Hutchings's  farm,  the  yellow  pond-lily  (JV?tphar  advena,  Ait.)  occm-s.  At  the 
Tipper  part  of  the  side  caiions  and  near  the  falls,  the  Venial  especially, 
the  cryptogamic  vegetation  is  most  abundantly  developed.  Where  the  rocks 
are  kept  moistened  by  the  spray,  numerous  mosses  thrive ;  and  even  on  the 
hill-slopes,  as  far  as  the  moistm'e  reaches,  the  peat  moss  (Sjihagnum)  gi'ows. 
10 


74  THE  YOSEMITE  GUIDE-BOOK. 

The  shelving  rocks  in  such  positions  arc  decorated  with  several  species  of 
most  graceful  fenis.  About  the  Vernal  Fall,  the  following  species  occur,  all 
of  rare  beauty  :  Adiantum  pedatmn,  Kanlf ,  Pelloea  densa.  Hook.,  P.  Bridgesii, 
Hook.,  P.  mucronata,  Eat.,  Cheilanthes  (jracillhna.  Eat.,  Poli/podum  Califor- 
nicmn,  Kaulf ,  As/ndiiim  argidum,  Kaulf.,  and  Cystopteris  fraffilis,  Bernh. 

The  sand}"^  region  of  the  Valley  proper  forms  a  connecting  strip  along  the 
edge  of  the  rocky  Uxlus,  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  It  is  quite  irregular  in 
width ;  but  it  makes  up  the  largest  portion  of  the  Valley  above  Indian 
Canon.  It  has  evidently  been  formed  by  the  disintegration  and  washing 
down  of  the  finer  portions  of  the  debris  from  the  walls.  The  soil  is  a  coarse, 
loose,  deep  sand,  containing  but  little  vegetable  matter,  and  becoming  finer, 
more  compact,  and  more  fertile  as  it  approaches  the  river.  This  is  peculiarly 
the  arboriferous  belt  of  the  Valley,  and  various  portions  of  its  area  exhibit 
different  characters  of  vegetation  to  coiTespond  with  the  differences  of  soil. 
On  the  drier  and  looser  portions,  the  pitch  (or  j-ellow)  pine  (P.  ponderosa) 
and  the  bastard  cedar  (Libocedru^  decni-rens)  are  the  most  abundant  and 
characteristic  trees ;  both  these  species  occur  of  considerable  size  and  of  fine 
proportions,  the  pines  being  nsually  from  125  to  150  feet  high.  Below 
the  Bridal  Veil  Fall,  near  the  dehrU,  the  fir  {Picea  grandis),  a  noble  tree, 
comes  in  ;  near  the  swampy  land,  the  black  oak  {Q.  Sonomensis)  is  abundant. 
The  sandy  region  also  bears  a  gi-eat  number  and  variety  of  shrubs  and 
nndergi-owth ;  among  these  are  :  the  Cornus  Xuttallii,  with  its  showy  white 
flowers,  three  inches  in  diameter  ;  Ruhus  Nuthamis,  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
raspben-ies,  and  found  from  Lake  Superior  west  ;  also  the  characteristic 
California  shrub,  manzanita  {Arctostaphylos  glauca).  Among  the  lower  shrubs 
are  :  the  wild  rose  [Rosa  hlanda)  ;  Pentstemon  Icetus,  with  its  beautiful  blue 
flowers ;  Hosackia  grandijlora,  also  w  ith  brilliant  flowers ;  also,  in  places,  the 
Frangxila  Californica,  forming  dense  thickets  ;  the  same  is  true  of  the  low 
willow.  The  common  brake  (Pferis  aqinlina)  is  very  abundant  and  sometimes 
very  large.  The  curious  Spraguea  timhellata,  one  of  the  most  characteristic 
flowers  of  the  Valley,  is  also  abundant  in  the  sandy  region.  In  places, 
especially  below  the  Bridal  Veil  Fall,  Comandra  umbellaia,  Silene  compacta, 
and  Chcenactis  achillcefolia  cover  the  ground.  An  examination  of  the  diff"erent 
woodcuts  will  show  how  the  vegetation  is  distributed  in  the  Valley,  and  the 
most  characteristic  trees  W'ill  easily  be  recognized. 


THE   YOSEMITE   VALLEY.  75 

The  meadows  and  sandy  portitms,  described  above  as  constituting  the 
bottom  of  the  Valley,  contain  all  the  land  in  the  Yosemite  which  can  be 
utilized  for  any  j^ui'pose,  such  as  building  or  cultivation.  The  talus  or  debris, 
the  second  great  division,  forms  steeply  sloping-  masses  of  rocky  fragments 
piled  along  the  base  of  the  cliffs,  on  both  sides  and  from  one  end  of  the 
Valley  to  the  other.  Only  in  a  very  few  places  do  the  nearly  vertical  walls 
come  squarely  down  to  the  level  of  the  Valley,  without  any  intervening  talus. 
These  places  are  easily  recognized  upon  the  map.  The  talus,  however,  is 
everywhere  of  insignificant  height  compared  with  the  cliffs  themselves,  this 
being,  as  before  remarked,  one  of  the  characteristic  featiu'es  of  the  Valley. 
The  debris  lies  chiefly  in  the  receding  or  re-entering  angles,  and  in  tlie 
canons  or  gorges  down  which  the  smaller  streams  flow  into  the  Valley.  It  is 
least  conspicuous  around  some  of  the  more  prominent  and  elevated  projecting 
points,  as  the  Three  Brothers,  El  Capitan,  and  the  Cathedral  Rock.  Singu- 
larly enough,  there  is  also  very  little  dehris  at  the  foot  of  the  Yosemite  Fall ; 
while,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Valley,  the  talus  is  exceptionally  wide.  On 
examining  the  woodcuts,  it  will  be  noticed  at  once  how  little  the  talus 
has  to  do  with  producing  the  general  effect  of  the  Yosemite ;  in  most  of 
them  it  can  hardly  be  recognized  as  existing  at  all. 

The  most  characteristic  tree  of  the  debris  piles  is,  perhaps,  the  mountain 
live-oak  (^Q.  chrysolepis,  Liebm.),  which  is  associated,  in  the  higher  portions, 
with  the  common  shrubby  evergreen  oak  of  the  higher  Sierras,  perhaps  the 
Q.  vaccimfolia  of  Kellogg.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  points  where  small  streams 
come  over  the  precipices,  we  find  the  Oregon  maple  {^Acer  macrophi/llum, 
Pursh),  with  its  large  and  deeply  cut  leaves,  and,  in  the  higher  portions 
of  the  debris,  another  maple  (^Acer  fflabrum,  Ton*.),  a  shrub,  10  or  15  feet 
high,  whose  delicate  branches,  long  peduncled  leaves,  and  clusters  of  reddish 
seed  make  it  an  object  conspicuous  for  its  beauty.  Near  the  base  of  the 
debris,  where  the  streams  of  the  smaller  waterfalls  emerge,  the  California 
laurel  (Tetrantliera  Calif  arnica)  occurs  as  a  small  tree,  with  smooth  brilliant 
evergreen  foliage  and  aromatic  odor.  Among  the  smaller  plants,  we  have 
several  beautiful  species  of  Pentstemon ;  one  with  brilliant  scarlet  flowers  {P. 
Menziesii,  Hook.)  is  very  conspicuous.  Bahia  confertiflora,  a  low  shrub,  with 
densely  clustered  yellow  flowers,  is  also  abundant.  A  number  of  species  of 
grasses,  of   great    interest    to    the    botanist,  also    occur    in    this  position ;    and 


\ 


76  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks  the  beautiful  Uttle  fern  t'lieilantlms  gracillivm, 
with  several  others  equally  j^raceful,  occurs. 

The  slope  along  the  descent  by  wliicli  tlie  Mariposa  trail  winds  into  the 
Valley  ofters,  also,  an  interesting  and  peculiar  grouping  of  species.  Oaks, 
pines,  and  fii"s  make  \i\)  the  forest,  and  with  these  is  a  profusion  of  flowering 
shrubs,  some  of  which  are  very  showy.  Among  these  are  the  Ceanothus 
integerrimuK,  H.  &  A.,  with  its  dense  clusters  of  white  or  pale-ljlue  and 
fragi'ant  flowers,  often  called  the  "  beauty  of  the  Sierra " ;  the  C.  divaricatus, 
Niitt.,  with  fragrant  blue  flowers;  Phlladelphus  Calif oi-mcus,  with  large  white 
flowers;  an  occasional  "poison  oak"  (Rhus  diversiloha,  T.  &  G.);  also  the 
"snow  plant"  or  "ice  plant"  [Sarcodes  sanguinea,  Torr.),  the  whole  of  which 
is  of  a  brilliant  red,  like  a  tongue  of  flame  issuing  from  the  ground ;  and, 
especially,  the  great  white  Lily  of  the  Sierra  (Ltlium  Umquaensis  ?),  perhaps 
the  most  siipei'b  and  deliciously  fragi'ant  flower  of  California. 

The  salient  and  most  striking  points  in  the  walls  of  the  Yosemite  have 
ah'eady  been  passed  rapidly  in  review.  The  whole  Yalle}',  however,  is  sur- 
rounded by  this  wall,  and  the  objects  particularly  noticed  were  only  such 
portions  of  it  as  attract  general  and  immediate  attention,  owing  to  some 
peculiarity  of  form  or  jjosition.  Every  portion  of  the  Yosemite  wall  is 
sublime  ;  and  where  there  is  so  mnch  to  be  seen,  and  where  every  object  can 
be  seen  fi-om  so  many  different  points  of  view,  there  is  hardly  any  limit  to 
the  combinations  of  the  different  elements  of  landscape  beauty,  which  can 
be  obtained  by  change  of  position  and  change  of  illumination.  The  color 
of  the  gi-auite  of  the  walls  is  a  light  gray,  —  brilliantly  white,  generally,  when 
the  sun's  light  is  reflected  from  it.  It  is,  in  places,  diversified  with  veins 
of  a  brighter  or  deeper  hue  ;  b\it  these  patches  of  color  are  not  conspicuous 
enough  to  produce  much  effect.  ]\Iore  character  i&  given  by  the  vertical 
parallel  lines  of  darker  color,  —  gi'ay,  brown,  and  black,  —  with  which  portions 
of  the  walls  are  striped.  These  are  the  result  of  the  flowing  down  of  water, 
in  the  line  of  most  dii-ect  descent,  over  the  face  of  the  cliffs,  cairying 
organic  matter  in  solution  or  suspension.  These  stains  are  verj'  conspicuous, 
and  not  at  all  imgi'aceful,  on  the  Royal  Arches,  as  well  as  on  El  Capitan 
and  other  vertical  cliffs.  The  general  effect  of  the  cliff's,  as  to  color,  is 
dazzling  in  the  sunlight ;  but  it  is  the  brilliancy  of  cold  colors,  not  of  warm 
ones,  and  the  various  oil  paintings  of  the  Yosemite,  representing  a  rich  golden 


THE    YOSEMITE  VALLEY.  77 

haze  as  pervading  and  giving  its  hue  to  everything  in  the  Valley,  are  simply 
and  entirely  untrue  to  nature.  The  beauty  of  color  comes  rather  from  the 
intensity  of  the  contrast  of  the  gray  rock  with  the  brilliant  vegetation  of  the 
Valley  bottom,  and,  in  a  less  degree,  with  that  of  the  canons  and  the  edge 
of  the  cliffs. 

Although  there  is  no  exit  from  the  Yosemite  for  a  mounted  traveller, 
except  by  one  of  the  two  trails  winding  vip  the  steep  sloj^e  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  Valley,  there  are  several  places  where  a  footman  can  find  his  way  out 
without  any  difficulty,  except  that  naturally  resulting  from  a  climb  up  a 
steep  slope  of  angular  rocks,  equal  in  vertical  rise  to  3,000  feet  and  more. 
Tourists  have  occasionally  climbed  up  Indian  Canon  to  the  head  of  the 
Yosemite  Fall  (see  map),  and  also  up  the  gorge  by  the  side  of  Sentinel 
Rock,  to  get  to  its  svmamit  and  to  the  Sentinel  Dome.  There  are  places 
where  one  could  climb  \\\),  apparently,  near  the  Cathedral,  a  little  below  El 
Capitan,  and  between  El  Capitan  and  the  Three  Brothers ;  but  we  are  not 
aware  that  they  have  ever  been  tried.  Persons  who  are  not  accustomed 
to  climbing,  and  especially  ladies,  are  strongly  advised  to  ride  out  of  the 
Valley  on  the  regular  trails,  when  they  wish  to  make  excursions  on  the 
outside,  rather  than  risk  getting  over-fatigued  in  performing  acrobatic  feats, 
which  are  not  at  all  necessary  to  enable  one  to  see  and  enjoy  the  whole 
region.  More  than  one  person,  however,  has  climbed,  stocking-footed  in  some 
particularly  ticklish  places,  up  the  cliff  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  Yosemite 
Fall,  along  the  ledges,  when  there  is  room,  if  not  for  a  foothold,  at  least 
for  a  toe-hold.  We  have  never  heard  that  any  serious  accident  has  happened 
to  visitors  to  the  Yosemite,  but  too  much  caution  cannot  be  used,  by  ladies 
especially,  in  regard  to  over-fatiguing  themselves. 

Some  general  statements  as  to  the  waterfalls  of  the  Yosemite,  in  addition 
to  what  has  already  been  said  on  this  subject,  may  here  be  introduced.  The 
principal  falls  about  the  Valley  have  already  been  described ;  but  there  are 
several  others  not  yet  mentioned  which  are  worthy  of  notice.  It  is  only 
early  in  the  season,  while  the  snow  on  the  smnmits  immediately  adjacent 
to  the  Valley  is  melting,  that  the  "  grandes  eaux "  of  this  national  park 
can  be  said  to  be  in  play.  Indeed,  at  such  times,  and  especially  after  the 
first  few  warm  days  in  the  spring,  there  are  large  numbers  of  small  streams 
discharging  themselves  over  the  cliffs,  and  each,  of   course,  producing  a  water- 


78  THE   YOSEMITE    CJUIDE-BOOK. 

fall  proportionate  in  ])icturcsqiio  ettoct  to  the  amount  of  water  it  furnishes. 
Of  these  minor  falls,  there  are  several  wliich  continue  for  a  considerable 
time ;  others  are  quite  short-lived.  The  Virgin's  Tears  Fall  is  one  of  the 
finest  of  the  former;  in  18()7  it  was  quite  a  fine  sight  in  June.  There  is 
another,  nearly  opposite,  on  a  stream  called  Meadow  Brook,  which  is  well 
seen  by  those  coming  into  the  Valley  on  the  Mariposa  trail  early  in  the 
season.  A  stream  heading  at  Ostrandcr's  Rocks  comes  down  near  Sentinel 
Rock,  in  a  kind  of  "  Buttermilk  Fall,"  or  scries  of  step-like  cascades,  until 
all  the  snow  at  its  head  has  disappeared.  The  fall  over  the  Royal  Arches 
also  keeps  itself  alive  for  some  time,  -with  quite  a  body  of  water  coming 
down  from  the  North  Dome,  and  on  the  opposite  side  the  Sentinel  Dome 
also  furnishes  its  quota  towards  keeping  up  the  high  display  of  the  Yosemite. 
There  are  as  many  reasons,  then,  as  there  are  waterMls  in  the  Valley,  why 
the  traveller  should  visit  the  Yosemite  early  in  the  season.  It  is  true  that 
some  visitors  who  have  arrived  too  late  to  see  the  falls  in  their  gi-andeur 
have  voted  tliem,  if  not  "humbiigs,"  at  least  non-essential  to  the  glory  of 
the  Yosemite.  They  have  been  so  nuich  impressed  with  the  mighty  cliffs 
and  domes  that  tjiey  have  not  conceived  it  possible  that  such  sublimity 
could  be  heightened  by  the  introduction  of  an}^  additional  features.  It  is 
true  that  the  Valley  has  about  it,  aside  from  its  waterfalls,  that  which  will 
amply  repay  the  traveller  for  the  time  and  labor  required  for  his  visit ;  but 
it  is  not  true  that  such  natural  objects  as  the  Yosemite,  the  Vernal,  or 
Nevada  Falls,  seen  with  all  their  glorious  surroundings,  do  not  immeasurably 
enhance  the  attractions  of  the  Valley.  The  traveller  should  endeavor,  if 
possible,  to  visit  the  region  just  as  the  last  snow  is  disappearing  from  the 
plateau ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  trail  is  made  on  a  lower  level,  as  suggested 
above,  he  will  be  able  to  do  so  with  ease  and  comfort  at  a  considerably 
earlier  period  than  now\  May,  June,  and  July  are  the  most  favorable 
months ;  and  even  April,  in  some  years,  would  not  be  too  early.  Of  the 
principal  Mis  in  the  Valley,  only  the  Vernal  and  Nevada  continue  in 
existence  through  the  season.  The  Yosemite  and  the  Bridal  Veil  shrink 
almost  to  nothing  by  August  or  September.  This  is  the  result  of  the 
peculiar  climate  of  California,  by  which  rains  are,  even  in  the  mountains, 
almost  entirely  dispensed  with  during  the  six  summer  months,  so  that  the 
streams  have  to  be  fed  exclusively  from  melting  snow.     As  every  rule  has  its 


THE   YOSEMITE  VALLEY.  79 

exception,  it  sometimes  happens  here  that  heavy  thimder-showers  around  the 
Valley  raise  the  streams  suddenly,  in  midsummer,  to  the  highest  point  of 
their  winter  flow.  This  occurred  in  1867,  when  a  violent  thunder-storm 
at  the  head  of  the  Merced,  in  June,  raised  the  South  Fork  at  Clark's  ranch 
and  the  Yosemite  Creek  several  feet,  within  half  an  hour.  This  rain-fall  was 
liuiited  to  a  quite  small  area ;  but  a  very  large  amount  of  water  must  have 
fallen  in  a  short  space  of  time.  It  was  probably  of  the  nature  of  one  of 
those  violent  deluges,  which  not  unfrequently  occur  in  California,  and  which 
are  generally  known  as  "  cloud-bursts." 

Some  comparison  of  the  principal  falls  in  the  Yosemite  with  the  most 
celebrated  ones  in  other  parts  of  the  world  will  be  of  interest  to  the  tourist, 
as  enabling  him  to  form  an  opinion  as  to  their  relative  attractiveness.  There 
are  several  circumstances  to  be  taken  into  consideration,  however,  in  a  com- 
parison of  waterfalls.  Absolute  height  and  quantity  of  water  are  imdoubtedly 
the  two  important  elements ;  but  all  the  accessories  have  a  share  in  pro- 
ducing the  general  effect.  The  fall  is  the  picture ;  but  the  value  of  it  is 
wonderfully  heightened  or  diminished,  according  to  the  more  or  less  pictu- 
resque character  of  the  frame  in  which  it  is  set.  Exactly  what  the  relative 
importance  of  height  and  volume  is,  in  producing  the  effect  in  different 
waterfalls,  it  is  not  easy  to  say.  There  are  those  on  whom  Niagara,  with 
its  immense  mass  of  water,  would  produce  a  greater  effect  than  the  Yosemite, 
with  its  ten  times  greater  height  and  its  much  more  than  ten  times  dimin- 
ished volume.  Others,  again,  would  consider  the  higher  fall  as  much  the 
more  attractive,  in  spite  of  its  comparatively  small  body  of  water.  Niagara 
and  the  Zambesi  are  typical  falls  for  volume  ;  but  probably  no  one  has  seen 
both  of  these,  so  as  to  be  able  to  institute  a  valuable  comparison  between 
them. 

The  falls  visited  by  tourists,  in  Europe,  are  very  numerous  ;  but  they  all 
belong  to  the  type  of  those  which  impress  by  their  height  and  not  by  their 
volume,  resembling  in  this  respect  the  Yosemite  Fall.  The  most  celebrated 
are  those  of  Norway  and  Switzerland ;  but  the  highest  of  all  is  tliat  of 
Gavarnie,  in  the  Pyrenees,  in  which  the  vertical  descent  is  1,266  feet.  In 
this  fall  the  quantity  of  Avater  is  only  just  enough  to  form  a  dozen  thin 
streams,  trickling  down  the  face  of  the  rock,  with  one,  a  little  larger  than 
the    others,    which    swings    off   as    a  white    cord,  twice    broken    by  projecting 


80  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

ledges,  and  entirely  dissipated  in  spray  before  it  reaches  the  bottom.  It  is 
plain  enough,  then,  that  the  fall  of  Gavarnie  will  not  compare  with  that 
of  the  Yosemite  either  in  volunie  or  height.  The  fall  of  the  Staubbach,  in 
Switzerland,  is  about  the  heiglit  of  the  Bridal  Veil;  but  the  quantity  of 
water  is  extremely  small,  so  that  the  effect  is  insignificant,  compared  even 
with  that  of  the  Virgin's  Tears.  The  fall  of  the  Aar,  at  Handek,  makes 
a  fine  show,  but  is  not,  b}-  any  means,  as  imjiosing  as  the  Vernal  Fall, 
being  inferior  to  it  in  elevation  and  in  volume,  and  of  course  mucli  liehind 
the  Nevada  in  both  respects. 

The  Voring  Foss,  in  Norway,  is  generally  admitted  to  be  the  finest 
waterfall  in  Em-ope ;  its  volume  is  about  that  of  the  Aar  at  Handek,  and  its 
height  is  estimated  at  850  feet.  It  has  never  been  measiu-ed,  for  it  falls 
into  an  inaccessible  chasm,  which  is  only  just  as  wide  as  the  stream  itself. 
As  it  can  only  be  viewed  from  above,  much  of  the  impressiveness  of  the  fall 
is  lost.  Mr.  Brace,  the  author  of  the  "Norse-Folk,"  who  is  probably  the 
only  person  who  has  seen  both  the  Yosemite  Valley  and  the  Voring  Foss, 
considers  the  Norwegian  falls  to  be  far  inferior  to  those  of  California. 

Asia  and  South  America  seem  poorly  provided  with  waterfalls ;  at  least, 
there  are  few  described  which  can  be  mentioned  in  comparison  with  those 
of  Europe  and  Noi'th  America ;  and  it  is  likely  that,  if  any  of  surjjassing 
gi-andem*  existed  in  those  countries,  they  woidd  have  become  known  before 
this  time.  We  are  disposed  to  believe  that  a  majority  of  cultivated  lovers 
of  natm-al  scenery  would  admit  the  Yosemite  Fall  to  surpass  any  in  the 
world,  as  presenting  the  most  perfect  combinations  of  all  the  elements 
of  the  picturesque.  Certainly,  taking  the  whole  region  of  the  Yosemite 
together,  with  its  five  gi'eat  fiills,  the  lowest  400  feet  and  the  highest  2, GOO, 
it  must  be  allowed  that,  in  this  particidar  kind  of  scenery,  it  is  a  locality 
without  a  rival  in  the  world. 

Although  the  Valley  is,  at  present,  almost  inaccessible  in  the  winter",  and, 
indeed,  entirely  so  to  those  Avho  are  not  up  in  travelling  on  snow-shoes,  it  is 
not  unlikely  that  the  time  will  soon  come  when  a  visit  to  it  at  that  season 
wiU  be  considered  as  the  "regular  thing"  for  tourists,  and  when  proper 
facilities  for  getting  there  will  be  provided.  The  views,  at  the  time  when 
the  snow  is  still  lying  deep  on  the  surrounding  plateau,  and  thundering  down 
in  frequent  avalanches  from  the  domes  and  over  the  walls  of  the  Valley ;    or. 


THE   YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  81 

a  little  later,  when  the  streams  are  filled  to  repletion  and  ponr  themselves 
over  the  cliffs  in  literally  unnumbered  cascades ;  when  the  Merced  becomes 
a  mad  torrent,  and  hurries  down  its  2,000  feet  of  vertical  descent  in  one 
wild  mass  of  spray-enveloped  waters,  —  all  this  is,  as  described  by  those  who 
have  seen  it,  of  surpassing-  grandeur.  The  accumulation  of  ice  at  the  base 
of  the  upper  part  of  the  Yosemite  Fall  is  also  sj^oken  of  as  a  most  im- 
pressive feature  in  the  winter  view.  The  frozen  spray  forms  a  vast  conical 
mass,  rising  sometimes  to  the  height  of  a  hundred  feet  or  more,  from  which 
the  falling  water,  rebounding,  is  shot  off"  in  graceful  curves,  forming  an 
immense  bouquet,  each  drop  of  which  sparkles  like  a  diamon^d  in  the  sun. 

All  will  recognize  in  the  Yosemite  a  peculiar  and  unique  type  of  scenery. 
Cliffs  absolutely  vertical,  like  the  upper  portions  of  the  Half  Dome  and  El 
Capitan,  and  of  such  immense  height  as  these,  are,  so  far  as  we  know, 
to  be  seen  nowhere  else.  The  dome  form  of  mountains  is  exhibited  on  a 
grand  scale  in  other  parts  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  ;  but  there  is  no  Half  Dome, 
even  among  the  stupendous  precipices  at  the  head  of  the  King's  River.  No 
one  can  avoid  asking.  What  is  the  origin  of  this  peculiar  type  of  scenery? 
How  has  this  imique  valley  been  formed,  and  what  arc  the  geological  causes 
which  have  produced  its  wonderful  cliff's,  and  all  the  other  features  which 
combine  to  make  this  locality  so  remarkable  1  These  questions  we  will 
endeavor  to  answer,  as  well  as  our  ability  to  pry  into  what  went  on  in  the 
deep-seated  regions  of  the  earth,  in  former  geological  ages,   will  permit. 

Most  of  the  great  canons  and  valleys  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  have  resulted 
from  aqueous  denudation,  and  in  no  part  of  the  world  has  this  kind  of  work 
been  done  on  a  larger  scale.  The  long-continued  action  of  tremendous 
torrents  of  water,  rushing  with  impetuous  velocity  down  the  slopes  of  the 
mountains,  has  excavated  those  immense  gorges  by  which  the  chain  of 
the  Sierra  Nevada  is  furrowed,  on  its  western  slope,  to  the  depth  of  thousands 
of  feet.  This  erosion,  great  as  it  is,  has  been  done  within  a  comparatively 
recent  period,  geologically  speaking,  as  is  conclusively  demonstrated  in  numerous 
localities.  At  the  Abbey's  Ferry  crossing  of  the  Stanislaus,  for  instance, 
a  portion  of  the  mass  of  Table  ]\Iountain  is  seen  on  each  side  of  the  river, 
in  such  a  position  as  to  demonstrate  that  the  current  of  the  lava  which 
forms  the  summit  of  this  mountain  once  flowed  continuously  across  what  is 
now  a  caiion  over  2,000  feet  deep,  showing  that  the  erosion  of  that  innuense 
11 


82 


THE   YOSEMITE    GUIDE-BOOK. 


Fig.  7. 


DISTANT   VIEW   OF   TABLE   MOUNTAIN. 


gorge  has  all  been  effected  since  the  lava  flowed  down  from  the  higher 
portion  of  the  Sierra.  This  event  took  place,  as  we  know  from  the  fossil 
hones  and  jjlants  embedded  nnder  the  volcanic  mass,  at  a  very  recent 
geological  period,  or  in  the  latter  part  of  the  Tertiary  epoch.  Some  even 
claim  that  it  happened  since  the  appearance  of  man  on  the  earth  ;  but  this, 
although  not  impossible,  remains  yet  to  be  proved.  Figiires  7  and  8  and  Plate 
III.  show  the  varying  forms  and  picturesque  character  of  some  of  these 
outliers  of  volcanic  materials.  Fig.  7  represents  Table  Moiuitain  in  Tuo- 
lumne County,  as  seen  from  a  point  distant  about  twelve  miles  in  a  south- 
easterly direction.  The  long  straight  line  of  its  upper  edge,  destitute  of 
vegetation  and  dark  colored,  will  easily  be  recognized.  Fig.  8  represents  a 
picturesque  outlier  of  volcanic  materials  near  Railroad  Flat  in  Calaveras 
County,  which  is  qiute  suiTounded  by  ridges  of  this  character,  rising  600 
to  800  feet  above  the  general  level  of  the  region,  and  indicating  clearly  the 
great  ei'osion  which  has  taken  place  since  a  recent  geological  period. 

The  eroded  canons  of  the  SieiTa,  however,  whose  formation  is  due  to  the 
action  of  water,  never  have  vertical  walls,  nor  do  their  sides  present  the 
peculiar  angular  forms  which  are  seen  in  the  Yosemite,  as,  for  instance,  in  EI 


THE   YOSEMITE   VALLEY. 


83 


Fig.  8. 


FOIIT   HILL,  —  NEAR   KAILROAB   FLAT. 


Capital!,  where  two  perpendicular  siii-fiices  of  smooth  granite,  more  than  3,000 
feet  higli,  meet  each  other  at  a  right  angle.  It  is  sufficient  to  look  for  a 
moment  at  the  vei'tical  faces  of  El  Capitan  and  the  Bridal  Veil  Rock,  turned 
down  the  Valley,  or  away  from  the  direction  in  which  the  eroding  forces 
must  have  acted,  to  be  able  to  say  that  aqueous  erosion  could  not  have  been 
the  agent  employed  to  do  any  such  work.  The  squarely  cut  re-entering 
angles,  like  those  below  El  Capitan,  and  between  Cathedral  Rock  and  the 
Sentinel,  or  in  the  lllilouette  canon,  were  never  produced  by  ordinary  erosion. 
Much  less  could  any  such  cause  be  called  in  to  account  for  the  peculiar 
formation  of  the  Half  Dome,  the  vertical  portion  of  which  is  all  al)ove  the 
ordinary  level  of  the  walls  of  the  Valley,  rising  2,000  feet,  in  sublime 
isolation,  above  any  point  which  could  have  been  reached  by  denuding 
agencies,  even  supposing  the  current  of  water  to  have  filled  the  whole 
Valley. 

Much  less  can  it  be  supposed  that  tlie  peculiar  form  .  of  the  Yosemite 
is  due  to  the  erosive  action  of  ice.  A  more  absurd  theoiy  was  never 
advanced  than  that  by  which  it  was  sought  to  ascribe  to  glaciers  the 
sawing  out  of  these  vertical  walls  and  the  rounding  of  the  domes.  Nothing 
more    unlike    the    real  work    of   ice,  as   exhibited  in  the  Alps,  could  be  found. 


84  THE   YOSKMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

Besides,  there  is  no  reason  to  siij)pose,  or  at  least  no  jiroof,  that  glaciers 
have  ever  occupied  tiic  Valley  or  any  portion  of  it,  as  will  bo  explained  in 
the  next  chapter,  so  that  this  theory,  based  on  entire  ignorance  of  the  whole 
subject,  may  be  dropped  without  wasting  any  more  time  upon  it. 

The  theory  of  erosion  not  being  admissible  to  account  for  the  formation 
of  the  Yosemitc  Valley,  we  have  to  fall  back  on  some  one  of  those  move- 
ments of  the  earth's  crust  to  which  the  primal  forms  of  mountain  valleys  are 
due.  The  forces  which  have  acted  to  produce  valleys  are  complex  in  their 
nature,  and  it  is  not  easy  to  classify  the  forms  which  have  resulted  from 
them  in  a  satisfactory  manner.  The  two  principal  types  of  valleys,  however, 
are  those  produced  by  rents  or  fissures  in  the  crust,  and  those  resulting  from 
flexm-es  or  foldings  of  the  strata.  The  former  are  usually  transverse  to  the 
moimtain  chain  in  which  they  occur ;  the  latter  are  more  fi'equently  jjarallel 
to  them,  and  parallel  to  the  general  strike  of  the  strata  of  which  the 
mountains  are  made  up.  Valleys  which  have  originated  in  cross  fractures 
are  usually  very  narrow  defiles,  enclosed  within  steep  walls  of  rocks,  the 
steepness  of  the  walls  increasing  with  the  hardness  of  the  rock.  It  would 
be  difficult  to  point  to  a  good  example  of  this  kind  of  valley  in  California ; 
the  famous  defile  of  the  Via  Mala  in  Switzerland  is  one  of  the  best  which 
could  be  cited.  Valleys  formed  by  foldings  of  the  strata  are  very  common 
in  many  mountain  chains,  especially  in  those  tyj)ical  ones,  the  Jura  and 
the  Appalachians.  Many  of  the  valleys  of  the  Coast  Ranges  are  of  this 
order.  A  valley  formed  in  either  one  of  the  ways  suggested  above  may 
be  modified  afterwards  by  forces  pertaining  to  either  of  the  others ;  thus 
a  valley  originating  in  a  transverse  fissure  may  afterwards  become  much 
modified  by  an  erosive  agency,  or  a  longitudinal  flexure  valley  may  have  one 
of  its  sides  raised  up  or  let  down  by  a  "  fault "  or  line  of  fissure  running 
throiigh  or  across  it. 

If  Ave  examine  the  Yosemite  to  see  if  traces  of  an  origin  in  either  of  the 
above  ways  can  be  detected  there,  we  obtain  a  negative  answer.  The  Valley  is 
too  wide  to  have  .been  formed  by  a  fissiu-c  ;  it  is  about  as  wide  as  it  is  deep, 
and,  if  it  had  been  originally  a  sim})le  crack,  the  walls  must  have  been  moved 
bodily  away  from  each  other,  carrying  the  whole  chain  of  the  Sierra  Avith  them, 
to  one  side  or  the  other,  or  both,  for  the  distance  of  half  a  mile.  Besides, 
when  a  cliff"  has  been  thus  formed,  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  the 


THE    YOSEMITE    VALLEY.  85 

fact,  from  the  correspondence  of  the  onthnes  of  the  two  sides  ;  just  as,  when 
we  break  a  stone  in  two,  the  pieces  must  necessarily  admit  of  being  fitted 
together  again.  No  correspondence  of  the  two  sides  of  the  Yosemite  can 
be  detected,  nor  will  the  most  ingenious  contriving,  or  lateral  moving,  suffice 
to  bring  them  into  anything  like  adaptation  to  each  other.  A  square  recess 
on  one  side  is  met  on  the  other,  not  by  a  coiTCsponding  projection,  but  by  a 
plain  wall  or  even  another  cavity.  These  facts  are  sufficient  to  make  the 
adoption  of  the  theory  of  a  rent  or  fissure  impossible.  There  is  much 
the  same  difficulty  in  conceiving  of  the  formation  of  the  Valley  by  finy 
flexure  or  folding  process.  The  forms  and  outlines  of  the  masses  of  rock 
limiting  it  are  too  angvdar,  and  have  too  little  development  in  any  one 
direction ;  they  are  cut  off  squarely  at  the  upper  end,  where  the  ascent  to 
the  general  level  of  the  country  is  by  gigantic  steps,  and  not  by  a  gradual 
rise.  The  direction  of  the  Valley,  too,  is  transverse  to  the  general  line 
of  elevation  of  the  mountains,  and  not  parallel  with  it,  as  it  should  be, 
roughly  at  least,  were  it  the  result  of  folding  or  upheaval. 

In  short,  we  are  led  irresistibly  to  the  adoption  of  a  theory  of  the  origin 
of  the  Yosemite  in  a  way  which  has  hardly  yet  been  recognized  as  one 
of  those  in  which  valleys  may  be  formed,  probably  for  the  reason  that  there 
are  so  few  cases  in  which  such  an  event  can  be  absolutely  proved  to  have 
occurred.  We_  conceive  that,  during  the  process  of  upheaval  of  the  SieiTa, 
or,  possibly,  at  some  time  after  that  had  taken  place,  there  was  at  the 
Yosemite  a  subsidence  of  a  limited  area,  marked  by  lines  of  "  fault  "  or  fissures 
crossing  each  other  somewhat  nearly  at  right  angles.  In  other  and  more 
simple  language,  the  bottom  of  the  Valley  sank  down  to  an  unknown  depth, 
owing  to  its  support  being  withdrawn  from  underneath,  during  some  of  those 
convulsive  movements  which  must  have  attended  the  upheaval  of  so  extensive 
and  elevated  a  chain,  no  matter  how  slow  we  may  imagine  the  process  to 
have  been.  '  Subsidence,  over  extensive  areas,  of  portions  of  the  earth's  crust, 
is  not  at  all  a  new  idea  in  geology,  and  there  is  nothing  in  this  peculiar 
application  of  it  which  need  excite  surprise.  It  is  the  great  amount  of 
vertical  displacement  for  the  small  area  implicated  which  makes  this  a  pecu- 
liar case ;  but  it  would  not  be  easy  to  give  any  good  reason  why  such  an 
exceptional  result  should  not  be  brought  about,  amid  the  complicated  play 
of  forces  which   the   elevation  of  a  great  mountain  chain  must  set  in  motion. 


8G  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

Bv  the  adoption  of  the  subsidence  theory  for  the  formation  of  tlie  Yosemite, 
we  are  able  to  get  over  one  ditliculty  which  appears  insurmoinitable  with  any 
other.  This  is,  the  very  small  amount  of  debris  at  the  base  of  the  clifts, 
and  even,  at  a  few  points,  its  entire  absence,  as  previously  noticed  in  our 
description  of  the  Valley.  We  see  that  fragments  of  rock  are  loosened  by 
rain,  frost,  gravity,  and  other  natural  causes,  along  the  walls,  and  probably 
not  a  winter  elapses  that  some  great  mass  of  detritus  does  not  come  thun- 
dering down  from  above,  adding,  as  it  is  easy  to  see  from  actual  inspection 
of  those  slides  which  have  occurred  within  the  past  few  years,  no  incon- 
siderable amount  to  the  talus.  Several  of  these  great  rock-avalanches  have 
taken  place  since  the  Valley  was  inhabited.  One  which  fell  near  Cathedral 
Rock  is  said  to  have  shaken  the  Valley  like  an  earthquake.  This  abrasion 
of  the  edges  of  the  Valley  has  unquestionably  been  going  on  during  a  vast 
period  of  time ;  what  has  become  of  the  detrital  material  ?  Some  masses 
of  granite  now  lying  in  the  Valley  —  one  in  particular  near  the  base  of  the 
Yosemite  Fall  —  are  as  large  as  houses.  Such  masses  as  these  covild  never 
have  been  removed  from  the  Valley  by  currents  of  Avater;  in  fact,  there  is 
no  evidence  of  any  considerable  amount  of  aqueous  erosion,  for  the  canon 
of  the  Merced  below  the  Yosemite  is  nearly  free  from  detritus,  all  the 
wav  down  to  the  plain.  The  foiling  masses  have  not  been  carried  out 
by  a  glacier,  for  there  are  below  the  Valley  no  remains  of  the  moraines 
which  such  an  operation  could  not  fail  to  have  formed. 

It  appears  to  us  that  there  is  no  way  of  disposing  of  the  vast  mass  of 
detritus,  which  must  have  fallen  from  the  Avails  of  the  Yosemite  since  the 
formation  of  the  Valley,  except  by  assuming  that  it  has  gone  down  to  fill 
the  abyss,  which  was  opened  by  the  subsidence  which  our  theory  supposes 
to  have  taken  place.  "What  the  depth  of  the  chasm  may  have  been  we  have 
no  data  for  computing ;  Init  that  it  must  have  been  very  great  is  proved 
by  the  fact  that  it  has  been  able  to  receive  the  accumulations  of  so  long 
a  period  of  time.  The  cavity  was,  undoubtedly,  occupied  by  water,  forming 
a  lake  of  unsurpassed  beauty  and  grandeur,  until  quite  a  recent  epoch.  The 
gradual  desiccation  of  the  whole  country,  the  disappearance  of  the  glaciers 
and  the  filling  up  of  the  abyss  to  nearly  a  level  with  the  present  outlet, 
where  the  Valley  passes  into  a  canon  of  the  usual  form,  have  converted  the 
lake  into  a  valley  with  a  river  meandering  through  it.     The  process  of  filling 


THE   YOSEMITE   VALLEY.  87 

up  still  continues,  and  the  talus  will  accumulate  perceptibly  fast,  although 
a  long  time  must  elapse  before  the  general  appearance  of  the  Valley  will 
be  much  altered  by  this  cause,  so  stupendous  is  the  vertical  height  of  its 
walls,  and  so  slow  their  crumbling  away,  at  least  as  compared  with  the 
historic  duration  of  time. 

Lake  Tahoe  and  the  valley  which  it  partly  occupies  we  conceive  also  to  be, 
like  the  Yosemite,  the  result  of  local  subsidence.  It  has  evidently  not  been 
produced  by  erosion  ;  its  depth  below  the  mountains  on  each  side,  amounting 
to  as  much  as  3,000  feet,  forbids  this  idea,  as  do  also  its  limited  area  and 
its  parallelism  with  the  axis  of  the  chain.  The  Lake  is  still  very  deep,  over 
1,000  feet ;  but  how  deep  it  was  originally,  and  how  much  detritus  has  been 
carried  into  it,  we  have  no  data  for  even  crudely  estimating. 


88  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  HIGH  SIERRA. 

Having,  in  the  last  chapter,  given  as  full  a  description  of  the  Yosemite 
Valley  as  our  space  will  permit,  we  proceed  next  to  call  the  reader's  attention 
to  the  higher  region  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  —  the  Alps  of  California,  as  the 
upper  portion  of  this  great  chain  of  mountains  is  sometimes  called ;  this 
region  we  designate,  for  convenience,  as  the  "  High  SieiTa."  It  is,  however, 
especially  the  elevated  valleys  and  mountains  which  lie  above  and  near  the 
Yosemite  that  we  wish  to  describe,  and  to  endeavor  to  bring  to  the  reader's 
notice,  as  this  is  not  only  a  region  central  and  easy  of  access,  but  one 
extremely  picturesque,  and  offering  to  the  lover  of  high  mountain  scenery 
every  possible  inducement  for  a  visit.  By  adding  a  few  more  days  to  the 
time  required  for  a  trip  to  the  Yosemite,  the  tourist  may  make  himself 
acquainted  with  a  type  of  scenery  quite  different  from  that  of  countries 
usually  visited  by  pleasiu-e  travellers,  and  may  enjoy  the  sight  of  as  lofty 
snow-covered  peaks,  and  as  gxand  panoramic  views  of  mountain  and  valley, 
as  he  can  find  in  Switzerland  itself  This  region  of  the  High  SieiTa  in 
California  is  hardly  yet  opened  to  visitors,  so  far  as  the  providing  for  them 
of  public  accommodations  is  concerned,  for  there  is  not  a  hotel,  nor  a  per- 
manently inhabited  hovise,  anywhere  near  the  crest  of  the  Sierra,  between 
the  Silver  Mountain  road  on  the  north  and  Walker's  Pass  on  the  south ;  but 
such  is  the  mildness  of  the  summer,  and  so  steady  is  the  clearness  of  the 
atmosphere  in  the  Californian  high  mountains,  that,  with  a  very  limited 
amount  of  preparation,  one  may  make  the  tour  outside  of  the  Yosemite 
almost  without  any  discomforts,  and  certainly  without  any  danger.  In  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  the  entire  absence  of  severe  storms  during  the  summer,  and 
the  almost  uninteiTupted  serenity  of  the  sky,  particularly  invite  to  pleasure 
travel.  The  worrying  delays  and  the  serious  risks  of  Alpine  travel,  caused 
by  long-contiriued   rains   and    storms    of   wind    and   hail,  with    their    attendant 


THE   HIGH   SIERKA.  89 

avalanches  of  snow  and  rocks,  are  unknown  in  the  Californian  high  moun- 
tains, and  we  have  camped  by  the  week  together,  in  the  constant  enjoyment 
of  the  finest  weather,  at  elevations  which  would  seem  too  great  for  anything 
but  hardship  and  discomfort. 

A  comparison  of  the  Swiss  and  Californian  Alpine  scenery  is  not  easy,  and 
yet  it  seems  natural  to  wish  to  give  some  idea  of  the  most  striking  features 
of  the  Sierra  by  referring  for  comparison,  or  contrast,  to  the  mountain 
scenery  of  Switzerland,  which  has  become  the  very  focus  of  pleasure  travel 
for  the  civilized  world.* 

The  much  smaller  quantity  of  snow  and  ice  in  the  Sierra,  as  compared 
with  regions  of  equal  elevation  in  Switzerland,  is  the  most  striking  feature 
of  difference  between  the  mountains  of  the  two  countries.  In  the  Sierra  we 
see  almost  exactly  what  would  be  presented  to  view  in  the  Alps,  if  the 
larger  portion  of  the  ice  and  snow-fields  were  melted  away.  The  marks 
of  the  old  glaciers  are  there ;  but  the  glaciers  themselves  are  gone.  The 
polished  si;rfaces  of  the  rocks,  the  moraines  or  long  trains  of  detritus,  and 
the  strite  engraved  on  the  walls  of  the  caiions,  —  these  speak  eloquently  of  such 
an  icy  covering  once  existing  here  as  now  clothes  the  summits  of  the  Alps. 

Another  feature  of  the  Sierra,  as  compared  with  the  Alps,  is  the  absence 
of  the  "  Alpen,"  or  those  grassy  slopes  which  occur  above  the  line  of  forest 
vegetation,  between  that  and  the  eternal  snow,  and  which  have  given  their 
names  to  the  mountains  themselves.  In  the  place  of  these,  we  have  in  the 
California  mountains  the  forests  extending  quite  \\p  to  the  snow-line  in  many 
places,  and  everywhere  much  higher  than  in  the  Alps.  The  forests  of  the 
Sierra,  and  especially  at  elevations  of  5,000  to  7,000  feet,  are  magnificent, 
both  in  the  size  and  beauty  of  the  trees,  and  far  beyond  any  in  the  Alps ; 
they  constitute  one  of  the  most  attractive  features  of  the  scenery,  and  yet 
they  are  somewhat  monotono\is  in  their  luiiformity  of  type,  and  they  give 
a  sombre  tone  to  the  landscape,  as  seen  from  a  distance  in  their  dark  shades 
of  green.  The  grassy  valleys,  along  the  streams,  are  extremely  beautiful,  but 
occupy  only  a  small  area ;  and,  especially,  they  do  not  produce  a  marked 
effect  in  the  distant  views,  since  they  are  mostly  concealed  behind  the  ranges, 
to  one  looking    over   the    coimtry    from    a   higli    point. 

*  There   ai-e  probably  ten  times  as  many  persons  in  California  who  have  travelled  for  pleasure 
in  Switzerland,  as  among  these  most  interesting  portions  of  the  Sierra. 
12 


90  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

The  predominating  fcatni-cs,  then,  of  the  High  Sierra  are  subhmity  and 
grandeur,  rather  than  beauty  and  variety.  The  scenery  will  perhaps  produce 
as  much  impression,  at  first,  as  that  of  the  Alps,  but  will  not  invite  so 
fi-cquent  visits,  nor  so  long  a  delay  among  its  hidden  recesses.  Its  type  is 
different  from  that  of  the  Swiss  mountains,  and  should  be  studied  by  those 
who  wish  to  see  Nature  in  all  her  variety  of  mountain  gloom  and  moiintain 
glory.  The  many  in  this  country  who  do  not  have  the  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  Alps  shoidd  not  miss  the  SieiTa,  if  it  be  in  their  power  to  visit  it. 

For  a  journey  around  the  Yosemite,  or  in  any  portion  of  the  High  Sien-a, 
mules  or  horses  may  be  hired  at  Bear  Valley,  Mariposa,  or  Coulters^ille  ;  and 
the  services  of  some  one  who  will  act  as  guide  can  be  obtained,  usually,  at 
either  of  these  places.  But  there  are,  as  3'et,  no  regular  guides  for  the  high 
moimtains,  and  travel  must  increase  considerably  before  any  such  will  be 
found.  A  good  pedestrian  will  often  prefer  to  walk,  and  will  pack  his 
baggage  on  a  horse  or  mule.  For  convenience  and  enjoyment,  the  party 
should  consist  of  several  persons.  A  good  supply  of  blankets  and  of  pro- 
visions, with  a  few  simple  cooking  utensils,  an  axe,  a  light  tent,  substantial 
woollen  clothes,  and,  above  all,  or  rather  under  all,  a  pair  of  boots  "  made 
on  honor,"  with  the  soles  filled  with  nails,  —  these  are  the  principal  requisites. 
The  guide  will  initiate  the  unpractised  traveller  into  the  mysterious  art  of 
"  packing "  a  mule  or  horse,  an  accoiaiplishmeut  which  can  only  be  acquired 
by  actual  practice,  but  one  on  the  skilfid  performance  of  which  much  of  the 
traveller's  comfort  depends.  Those  who  are  familiar  with  woods-life  in  Cali- 
fornia, or  elsewhere,  can  easily  find  their  way  about  with  the  help  of  the 
maps  contained  in  this  volume. 

It  will  be  the  principal  object  of  this  chapter  to  describe  the  region  of  the 
High  Sierra  adjacent  to  the  Yosemite,  and  this  will  first  be  done;  after 
which,  we  will  add  a  brief  description  of  some  other  less  known  portions 
of  the  Sierra,  in  the  hope  that  travellers  may  be  induced  to  visit  them,  and, 
perhaps,  to  give  to  the  world  some  of  their  experience,  for  the  benefit  of 
future  tourists.  And,  for  convenience,  we  will  first  describe  the  trip  which 
is  most  likely  to  be  made  by  those  visiting  the  Yosemite ;  namely,  an  excursion 
around  the  Valley,  on  the  outside,  one  which  will  reveal  much  that  is  of 
great  interest,  occupying  but  few  days,  and  which  can  be  made  mostly  on 
beaten    trails,    without    the    slightest    difficulty    or    danger.      We    cannot    but 


THE    HIGH    SIERRA.  91 

believe  that  the  time  will  soon  come  when  hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  will 
every  year  visit  this  region,  and  that  it  will  become  as  well  known  as  the 
valleys  and  peaks  of  the  Bernese  Oberland. 

In  making  the  circuit  of  the  Yosemite,  as  here  proposed,  the  traveller 
is  supposed  to  start  from  the  Valley  itself,  leaving  it  on  the  north  side,  and 
following  the  Mono  trail  to  Soda  Springs,  camping  there  and  ascending 
Mount  Dana,  then  returning  by  the  trail  from  Mono  to  Mariposa,  passing 
behind  Cloud's  Rest  and  the  Half  Dome,  through  the  Little  Yosemite,  across 
the  Illilouette,  by  the  Sentinel  Dome,  then  to  WestMl's  and  back  into  the 
Valley,  or  to  Clark's  Ranch,  as  may  be  desired,  the  whole  trip  occupying 
about  a  week. 

Leaving  the  Valley,  the  traveller  ascends  to  the  plateau  by  the  Coulterville 
trail ;  but,  instead  of  keeping  on  the  trail  back  to  that  place,  turns  sharp  to 
the  right  just  after  passing  the  Boundary  corner,  taking  the  ti'ail  formerly 
considerably  i;sed  by  mule-trains  between  Big  Oak  Flat  and  Aurora.  This 
trail  was  of  some  importance  at  the  time  that  the  Esmeralda  District  was  in 
favor  with  mining  speculators  ;  for,  although  it  rises  to  the  elevation  of  over 
10,700  feet  above  the  sea-level,  yet,  there  being  an  abundance  of  feed  at  the 
various  flats  and  meadows  on  the  route,  —  which,  as  they  were  not  claimed  or 
fenced  in,  were  free  to  all,  —  it  offered  a  more  eligible  route  for  large  trains  of 
mules  than  the  passes  farther  north,  where  all  the  grass  was  taken  possession 
of  by  settlers,  and  where,  consequently,  feed  must  be  purchased.  In  1863 
all  the  meadows  on  the  Silver  Mountain  road  (the  one  next  north  of  the 
Sonora  Pass  road)  were  claimed;  there  were  several  public  houses  on  the 
route,  and  a  public  conveyance  over  it ;  but,  at  that  time,  there  was  not 
a  house  or  a  settler  on  the  Mono  trail  anywhere  between  Deer  Flat,  twenty- 
two  miles  below  the  Yosemite,  and  the  eastern  base  of  the  Sierra,  near  Mono 
Lake  ;  nor  is  there  now,  so  far  as  we  are  informed.  The  traveller,  therefore, 
will  not  be  able  to  telegraph,  in  advance  of  his  arrival,  for  rooms  at  the 
sumptuous  hotel  at  the  next  station ;  but  he  will  find  grassy  meadows  in 
which  to  pasture  his  animals,  scattered  along  the  route  at  convenient  inter- 
vals, will  have  an  abimdance  of  ice-cold  water,  and,  drawing  on  his  saddle-bags 
for  his  own  rations,  with  \inlimited  command  of  free  fuel,  he  will  find  both 
novelty  and  delight  in  his  entire  independence  of  hotel  bills,  and  in  knowing 
that  he  is  not  in  danger  of  being  crowded  out  of  his  "accommodations." 


92  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

The  first  good  caxiiijing-gi-ouiid,  after  leaving  the  Valley  on  the  Mono  trail, 
is  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Virgin's  Tears  Creek,  and  from  here  the  highest 
of  the  Three  Brothers  may  be  easily  reached,  in  an  horn-  or  two.  There 
is  no  ti-ail  blazed  as  yet;  but  the  shortest  and  best  way  can  easily  be  found, 
in  the  absence  of  a  guide,  by  the  aid  of  the  map.  From  this  commanding 
point,  almost  4,000  feet  above  the  Valley,  the  view  is  extremely  fine,  the 
Merced  Kiver  and  gi-cen  meadows  which  border  it  seeming  to  be  directly 
under  the  observer's  feet.  Probably  there  is  no  better  place  from  which 
to  get  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  Yosemite  Valley  itself;  and,  in  respect  to  the 
distant  view  of  the  Sierra  to  be  had  from  the  summit  of  the  Three  Brothers, 
it  can  only  be  said,  that,  like  all  the  others  which  can  be  obtained  from 
commanding  positions  around  the  Valley,  it  seems,  while  one  is  enjoying  it, 
to  be  the  finest  possible.  At  the  time  of  our  visit  to  this  region  in  1SG6, 
we  climbed  a  commanding  ridge  just  north  of  our  camp  on  the  Virgin's  Tears 
Creek,  from  which  a  noble  panoramic  view  of  the  Sierra  w^as  had.  It  was 
just  at  sunset,  and  the  effect  of  color  which  was  produced  by  some  peculiar 
condition  of  the  atmosphere,  and  which  continued  for  at  least  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  was  something  entirely  unique  and  indescribabty  beautiful.  The 
whole  landscape,  even  the  foreground  and  middle  ground,  as  well  as  the 
distant  ranges,  became  of  a  bright  Venetian-red  color,  producing  an  effect 
which  a  painter  would  vainly  attempt  to  imitate  by  any  color  or  combination 
of  colors.  It  was  unlike  the  "  Alpine  glow,"  so  often  seen  in  high  mountains ; 
for,  instead  of  being  confined  to  the  distant  and  lofty  ranges,  it  tinged  even 
the  nearest  objects,  and  not  with  shades  of  rose-color  and  purple,  but  with 
a  uniform  tint  of  brilliant,  clear  red. 

After  crossing  the  Virgin's  Tears,  the  nest  creek  is  that  wdiich  forms  the 
Yosemite  Falls,  and  which  is  about  two  miles  farther  on.  The  trail  crosses 
this  creek  a  little  above  a  small  meadow,  where  one  can  camp,  and  from 
which  the  brink  of  the  foil  and  the  summit  of  the  cliff  overhanging  it  on 
the  east  may  be  visited.  A  couple  of  miles  farther  on  is  a  high  meadow 
called  Deer  Park,  on  which  there  was  some  snow  even  in  the  latter  part 
of  June,  1863  ;  for  we  are  here  nearly  8,500  feet  above  the  sea-level. 
Descending  a  little,  we  soon  reach  Porcupine  Flat,  a  small  meadow  of  carices, 
8,173  feet  above  tide-w^ater,  and  a  good  camping-ground  for  those  who  wish 
to  visit  Mount  Hoffmann. 


THE   HIGH   SIERRA.  93 

Mount  Hoffmann  is  the  culminating  point  of  a  gi'oup  of  elevations,  very- 
conspicuous  from  various  points  about  the  Yosemite,  and  especially  from  the 
Mariposa  trail  and  from  Sentinel  Dome,  looking  directly  across  the  Valley 
and  to  the  north  of  it.  It  is  about  four  miles  northwest  of  Porcupine  Flat, 
and  can  be  reached  and  ascended  without  the  slightest  difhcidty.  The  ridge 
to  which  it  belongs  forms  the  divide  between  the  head-waters  of  Tenaya  and 
Yosemite  Creeks,  the  latter  heading  in  several  small  lakes  which  lie  imme- 
diately under  the  bold  miu'al  face  of  the  range,  which  is  turned  to  the 
northwest.  The  summit  is  10,872  feet  above  the  sea-level,  and  is  a  bare 
granitic  mass,  with  a  gently  ciu'ving  slope  on  the  south  side,  but  falling  off" 
in   a  grand  precipice  to   the   north. 

The  view  from  the  summit  of  Mount  Hoffmann  is  remarkably  fine,  and 
those  who  have  not  time,  or  inclination,  to  visit  the  higher  peaks  of  the 
main  ridge  of  the  Sierra  are  strongly  advised  to  ascend  this,  as  the  trip  fi-om 
the  Yosemite  and  back  need  only  occupy  two  or  three  days ;  and  no  one 
who  has  not  climbed  some  high  point  above  the  Valley  can  consider  himself 
as  having  made  more  than  a  distant  acquaintance  with  the  High  Sierra. 
This  is  a  particularly  good  point  for  getting  an  idea  of  the  almost  inaccessible 
region  of  volcanic  masses  lying  between  the  Tuolumne  River  and  the  Sonora 
Pass  road,  of  which  a  characteristic  instance  is  given  in  Fig.  9,  which 
represents  some  of  the  great  tables  resting  on  the  granite  and  3,000  feet  above 
the  adjacent  valley,  the  dark  mass  of  lava  in  the  centre  of  the  picture 
being  fully  700  feet  thick.  The  number  of  distinct  peaks,  ridges,  and  tables, 
visible  in  that  direction,  crowded  together,  is  too  great  to  be  counted.  The 
grand  mass  of  Castle  Peak  is  a  prominent  and  most  remarkably  pictm-esque 
object.  This  mountain  was  thus  named  by  Mr.  G.  H.  Goddai'd,  about  ten 
years  ago,  at  which  time  he  ascended,  by  estimate,  to  within  1,000  feet  of  the 
summit,  and  calculated  it  to  be  13,000  feet  in  elevation  above  the  sea-level.* 
Messrs.  King  and  Gardner  made  several  attempts  to  climb  it,  but  did  not 
succeed  in  getting  to  the  top,  although  Mr.  Goddai-d  thinks  it  can  easily 
be  reached  from  the  north.  By  some  unaccountable  mistake,  the  name 
of    Castle    Peak    was    aftenvards    transferred    to    a    rounded    and    not    at    all 

*  llr.  Goddard's  measurement  was  made  -with  an  aneroid  barometer,  and  subsequent  examinations 
along  his  route,  by  tlie  Geological  Survey,  indicate  tliat  his  figures  are  about  500  feet  too  great. 
Castle  Peak  is  probably  between  12,000  and  12,500  feet  high. 


94 


THE  YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 


Fig.  9. 


VOLCANIC   TABLES   ON   GRANITE. 


castellated  mass  about  seven  miles  north  of  INIount  Dana ;  but  we  have 
returned  the  name  to  the  peak  to  which  it  belongs,  and  given  that  of  General 
Warren,  the  well-known  topographer  and  engineer,  to  the  one  on  which  the 
entirely  unsuitable  name  of  Castle  Peak  had  become  fixed. 

From  Porciipine  Flat  and  Mount  Hoffmann,  we  look  directly  south  on  to 
the  fine  groixp  of  mountains  lying  southeast  of  the  Yosemite  and  called  by 
us  the  Obelisk  Group,  which  will  be  fully  described  further  on  in  this  chap- 
ter. (See  Plate  IV.)  It  is  a  conspicuous  feature  in  the  scenery  of  the 
region  about  the  Yosemite. 

Lake  Tenaya,  the  head  of  the  branch  of  the  IMci'ccd  of  the  same  name,  is 
the  next  point  of  interest  on  the  trail,  and  is  about  six  miles  east-northeast 
of  Porcupine  Flat.  It  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  a  mile  long  and  half 
a  mile  wide.  The  trail  passes  around  its  east  side,  and  good  camping-gi'ound 
can  be  found  at  the  upper  end  in  a  fine  grove  of  firs  and  pines.  The  rocks 
in  the  vicinity  all  exhibit  in  the  most  remarkable  dcgi'ee  the  concentric 
structure  peculiar  to  the  granite  of  this  region.  At  the  head  of  the 
Lake  is  a  very  conspicuous  conical  knob    of   smooth    gi'anite,  about    800    feet 


THE   HIGH    SIEKRA. 


95 


Iiigh,  entirely  bare  of  vegetation,  and  beautifully  scored  and  polished  by 
former  glaciers.  The  traces  of  the  existence  of  an  immense  flow  of  ice  down 
the  valley  now  occupied  by  Lake  Tenaya  begin  here  to  be  very  conspicuous. 
The  ridges  on  each  side  of  the  trail  are  worn  and  polished  by  glacial  action 
nearly  to  their  summits,  so  that  travelling  really  becomes  difficult  for  the 
animals    on    the    pass    from    the  valley  of   the    Tenaya  into  that  of   the  Tuo- 


Fijr.  10. 


CATHEDRAL  PEAK,  FROM  NEAR  LAKE  TENAYA. 


liimne,  so  highly  polished  and  slippery  are  the  broad  areas  of  granite  over 
which  they  have  to  pick  their  way.  A  branch  of  the  great  Tuolumne  glacier 
flowed  over  into  the  Tenaya  Valley  through  this  pass,  showing  that  the 
thickness  of  the  mass  of  ice  was  much  more  than  500  feet,  which  is  the 
difference  of  level  between  the  summit  of  the  pass  and  the  Tuolumne  River. 
As  the  glacial  markings  are  seen  on  the  rocks  aroimd  Lake  Tenaya  at  an 
elevation  of  fully  500  feet  above  its  level,  it  is  certain  that  the  whole 
thickness  of  the  ice  in  the  Tuolumne  Valley  mvist  have  been  at  least  1,000 
feet.     The  summit  of  the  pass  is  9,070  feet  above  the  sea-level. 

The  trail  descends  into  the  valley  of  the  Tuolumne,  winding  down  under 
the  brow  of  the  Cathedral  Peak  gi'oup,  a  superb  mass  of  rock,  which  first 
becomes    conspicuously    visible    to    the    traveller    just    before    reaching    Lake 


96 


THE   YOSEMITE    GUIDE-BOOK. 


Tenaj'a.  (Sec  Fig.  10.)  This  is  one  of  tlie  grandest  land-marks  in  the  wliole 
region,  and  has  been  most  aj)propriately  named.  As  seen  from  the  west  and 
southwest,  it  presents  the  appeai'ance  of  a  lofty  mass  of  rock,  cut  squarely 
down  on  all  sides  for  more  than  a  thousand  feet,  and  having  at  its  southern 
end  a  beautiful  cluster  of  slender  pinnacles,  which  rise  several  hundred  feet 
above    the   main    body.      It   requires    no  effort  of   the  imagination  to  see  the 

Fig.  11. 


CATIIEDIIAL   TEAK,    FROJI    TUOLUJINE    VALLEY. 


resemblance  of  the  wholo  to  a  (Jotliic  cathedral  ;  liut  the  majesty  of  its  form 
and  its  vast  dimensions  are  such,  that  any  work  of  human  hands  woidd  sink 
into  insignificance  beside  it.  Its  summit  is  at  least  2,500  feet  above  the 
surrounding  plateau,  and  about  11,000  feet  above  the  sea-level.  From  the 
Tuolumne  River  Valley,  on  the  east,  the  Cathedi'al  Peak  presents  a  most 
attractive  appearance  ;  but  has  quite  lost  the  peculiar  resemblance  which  was 
so  conspicuous  on  the  other  side.     (See  Fig.   11   and  Plate  V.) 


*  ^^-^^^^t^^^^  - 


THE   HIGH   SIERRA.  97 

The  valley  of  the  Tuolumne,  into  which  the  Mono  trail  now  descends  (sec 
map),  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  and  delightful  in  the  High  Sierra. 
Situated  at  an  elevation  of  between  8,000  and  9,000  feet  above  the  sea-level, 
surrounded  by  noble  ranges  and  fantastically  shaped  peaks  which  rise  from 
3,000  to  4,000  feet  higher,  and  from  which  the  snow  never  entirely  dis- 
appears, traversed  by  a  clear  raj)id  river,  along  which  meadows  of  carices  and 
clumps  of  pines  and  firs  alternate,  the  effect  of  the  whole  is  indeed  most 
superb.  The  main  portion  of  the  valley  is  about  four  miles  long,  and  from 
half  to  a  third  of  a  mile  wide.  At  its  upper  end  it  forks,  the  Mono  trail 
taking  the  left-hand  branch,  or  that  which  comes  down  from  Mount  Dana, 
while  the  right-hand  fork,  or  that  which  enters  from  the  southeast,  is  the 
one  heading  on  the  north  side  of  Mount  Lyell  (see  map),  about  eight  miles 
above  the  junction  of  the  two  branches.  Soda  Springs,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Tuolumne,  near  the  place  where  the  Mono  trail  descends  into  the  valley, 
offers  an  agreeable  camping-gi-ound,  and  many  other  pleasant  spots  can  be  found 
between  this  and  the  head  of  the  pass.  The  springs  furnish  a  mild  chalyb- 
eate water,  slightly  impregnated  with  carbonic  acid  gas,  and  rather  pleasant 
to  the  taste.  They  are  elevated  thirty  or  forty  feet  above  the  river,  and  are 
8,680  feet  above  the  sea.  From  this  point  the  view  in  all  directions  is  a 
magnificent  one.  The  Cathedral  Peak  Grovip  is  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
features  in  the  landscape,  the  graceful,  slender  form  of  the  dominating  peak 
being  always  attractive,  from  whichever  side  it  is  seen.  What  resembled 
the  spires  of  a  cathedral,  in  the  distant  view  fi-om  the  west,  near  Lake 
Tenaya,  is  now  seen  to  be  two  bare  pyramidal  peaks,  rising  precipitously  from 
the  forest-clothed  sides  of  the  ridge  to  the  height  of  about  2,. 300  feet  above 
the  valley.  (See  Plate  V.)  Farther  east  the  range  is  continued  in  a  line  of 
jagged  peaks  and  pinnacles,  too  steep  for  the  snow  to  remain  upon  them, 
and  rising  above  great  slopes  of  bare  granite,  over  which,  through  the  whole 
summer,  large  patches  of  snow  are  distributed,  in  sheltered  places  and  on 
the  north  side.  One  of  these  peaks  has  a  very  peculiar  horn-shaped  outline, 
and  hence  was  called  Unicorn  Peak.  This  range  trends  off  to  the  southeast 
and  unites  with  the  gi-and  mass  of  the  Mount  Lyell  Group,  which  forms  the 
dominating  portion  of  the  Sierra  in  this  region. 

The  vicinity  of  Soda  Springs,  and,  indeed,  the  whole  region  about  the 
head  of  the  upper  Tuolumne,  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  State  for  studying 
13 


98 


THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 


the  traces  of  the  ancient  glacier  system  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  The  valleys 
of  both  the  Mount  Lyell  and  the  Mount  Dana  forks  exhibit  abundant 
evidence  of  having  been  filled,  at  no  very  remote  period,  with  an  inniiense 
body  of  moving  ice,  which  has  everywhere  rounded  and  polished  the  surfiice 
of  the  rocks,  up  to  at  least  a  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river. 
This   polish    extends   over   a   vast    area,    and    is    so    perfect    that    the  surface 


Fig.  12. 


GLACIEE-POUSHED    ROCKS,   UPPER  TUOLUMNE   VALLEY. 

is  often  seen  from  a  distance  to  glitter  with  the  light  reflected  from  it,  as 
from  a  mirror.  Not  only  have  we  these  evidences  of  the  former  existence 
of  glaciers,  but  all  the  phenomena  of  the  moraines  —  lateral,  medial,  and 
terminal  — are  here  displayed  on  the  grandest  scale. 

To  the  northeast  of  Soda  Springs,  a  plateau  stretches  along  the  south- 
western side  of  the  crest  of  the  SieiTa,  with  a  gentle  inclination  towards  the 
river,  rising  gi-adually  up  to  a  rugged  mass  of  peaks,  of  which  Mount  Conness 


THE   HIGH   SIERRA.  99 

is  the  highest.  The  plateau  lies  at  an  elevation  of  between  9,000  and 
10,000  feet ;  it  has  clumps  of  Finns  contorta  scattered  over  it,  and  is 
furrowed  by  water-covirses,  which  are  not  very  large.  The  whole  surface 
of  this  is  most  beautifully  polished  and  grooved,  except  Avhere  covered  with 
the  piles  of  debris,  which  stretch  across  it  in  long  parallel  lines,  and  which 
are  the  medial  moraines  of  the  several  side  glaciers,  which  formerly  united 
with  the  main  one,  coming  down  from  the  gorges  and  canons  of  the  great 
mass  of  the  Sierra  above.  About  a  mile  below  the  sj^rings  are  the  remains 
of  a  terminal  moraine,  stretching  across  the  valley ;  it  is  not  very  con- 
spicuous, except  from  the  fact  that  it  bears  a  scattered  growth  of  pines, 
contrasting  beautifully  wath  the  grassy  and  level  area  above  and  below.  A 
mile  and  a  half  lower  down,  a  belt  of  granite,  a  mile  or  more  wide,  extends 
across  the  valley ;  over  this  the  river  falls  in  a  series  of  cascades,  having 
a  perpendicvdar  descent  of  above  a  hundred  feet  in  all.  This  gi-anite  belt  is 
worn  into  many  knobs,  some  of  which  are  a  hundred  feet  high  and  over ; 
between  these  are  great  gi'ooves  and  channels  worn  by  ice,  and  their  whole 
surface,  to  the  very  summit,  is  scratched  and  polished,  the  markings  being 
parallel  with  the  present  com-se  of  the  river. 

Below  this  is  another  gi'assy  field,  and  then  the  river  enters  a  canon, 
which  is  about  twenty  miles  long,  and  probably  inaccessible  through  its 
entire  leng-th ;  at  least  we  have  never  heard  of  its  being  explored,  and  it 
certainly  cannot  be  entered  from  its  head.  ]\Ir.  King  followed  this  caiion 
down  as  far  as  he  could,  to  where  the  river  precipitated  itself  down  in  a 
grand  fall,  over  a  mass  of  rock  so  rounded  on  the  edge,  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  approach  near  enough  to  look  over  into  the  chasm  below,  the  walls 
on  each  side  being  too  steep  to  be  climbed.  "Where  the  caiion  opens  out 
again,  twenty  miles  below,  so  as  to  be  accessible,  a  remarkable  counterpart 
of  the  Yosemite  Valley  is  found,  called  the  Hetch-Hetchy  Valley,  which  will 
be  described  farther  on.  Between  this  and  Soda  Springs  there  is  a  descent 
in  the  river  of  4,500  feet,  and  what  gi-and  waterfalls  and  stupendous  scenery 
there  may  be  here  it  is  not  easy  to  say.  Although  we  have  not  succeeded 
in  getting  into  this  caiion,  it  does  not  follow  that  it  cannot  be  done.  Adven- 
turous climbers,  desirous  of  signalizing  themselves  by  new  discoveries,  should 
try  to  penetrate  into  this  unknowTi  gorge,  which  may  perhaps  admit  of  being 
entered    through    some    of   the    side    canons    coming    in    from    the  north,  and 


100  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

which  must  exhibit  stupendous  scenery.  The  region  north  of  this  canon,  as 
far  as  the  Sonora  road  across  the  Sierra,  is  wonderfully  wild  and  difficult 
of  access.  Om*  parties  made  some  attempt  to  penetrate  it,  and  to  reach 
Castle  Peak,  but  without  success,  partly  owing  to  the  great  difficulty  of 
finding  feed  for  the  animals. 

Just  before  reaching  the  head  of  the  gi-eat  caiion,  there  is  an  isolated 
oranite  knob  in  the  valley,  rising  to  the  height  of  about  800  feet  above  the 
river,  and  beautifully  glacier-polished  to  its  very  summit.  At  this  point 
the  great  glacier  of  the  Tuolumne  must  have  been  at  least  a  mile  and 
a  half  wide  and  over  1,000  feet  thick.  From  this  knob  the  view  of  the 
valley  and  the  surrounding  mountains  is  one  hardly  surpassed  in  interest  and 
orandeur.  Plate  VI.  reproduces  a  sketch  taken  from  this  point  looking 
towards  the  Cathedral  Peak  Gi-oup,  and  shows  the  fine  mass  of  elevations  to 
the  southwest.  In  the  lower  part  of  the  vaUey  are  the  smooth  and  glittering 
surfaces  of  granite,  indicating  the  former  existence  of  the  glacier  ;  above  this, 
on  either  hand,  the  steep  slopes  of  the  mountains,  clad  with  a  sombre  growth 
of  pines  (Pinus  contorta),  and  beyond,  still  higher  up,  the  great  snow-fields, 
above  which  rises  the  Unicorn  Peak,  and  many  other  nameless  ones,  in 
grand  contrast  with  the  dome-shaped  masses  seen,  in  the  farthest  distance, 
in  the  direction  of  Lake  Tenaya. 

Of  all  the  excursions  which  can  be  made  from  Soda  Springs,  the  one  most 
to  be  recommended  is  the  ascent  of  Mount  Dana,  as  being  entirely  without 
difficulty  or  danger,  and  as  offering  one  of  the  grandest  panoramic  views 
which  can  be  had  in  the  Sierra  Nevada;  those  who  wish  to  try  a  more 
difficult  feat  can  climb  ]\Iount  LyeU  or  Mount  Conness.*  Since  the  visit 
of  the  Geological  Survey  to  this  region,  in  1863,  several  parties  have 
ascended  Mount  Dana,  riding  nearly  to  the  summit  on  horseback,  and  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  the  ascent  will,  in  time,  become  well  known,  and 
popular    among    toiu-ists.     As    it    is  rather  too  hard  a  day's  work  to  go  from 

*  Mount  Dana  was  named  after  Professor  J.  D.  Dana,  the  eminent  American  geologist;  Mount 
Lyell,  from  Sir  Cliarles  Lj'ell,  whose  admirable  geological  works  have  been  well  known  to  students 
of  this  branch  of  science,  in  this  country,  for  the  past  thirty  years.  Mount  Conness  bears  the  name 
of  a  distinguished  citizen  of  California,  now  a  United  States  Senator,  who  deserves,  more  than  any 
other  person,  the  credit  of  carrying  the  bill  organizing  the  Geological  Survey  of  California,  through 
the  Legislature,  and  who  is  chiefly  to  be  credited  for  another  great  scientific  work,  the  Survey 
of  the  40th  Parallel. 


THE   HIGH    SIERRA.  101 

Soda  Springs  to  the  summit  of  Mount  Dana  and  back  in  a  day,  it  will  bo 
convenient  to  move  camp  to  the  base  of  the  mountain,  near  the  head  of  the 
Mono  Pass.  The  distance  from  the  springs  to  the  simimit  of  the  pass  is 
about  ten  miles  in  a  straight  line,  and  perhaps  twelve  in  following  the  trail. 
A  convenient  place  for  camping,  and  from  which  to  ascend  Mount  Dana, 
is  at  a  point  about  three  miles  from  the  summit  of  the  pass,  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  stream  and  near  the  junction  of  a  small  branch,  coming  in  from 
the  slopes  of  Mount  Dana  to  unite  with  the  main  river,  which  heads  in  the 
pass  itself  and  along  the  ridges  to  the  southeast  of  it.  This  camp  is  9,805 
feet  above  the  sea,  and  about  a  thousand  feet  below  the  summit  of  the  joass, 
which  is  10,765  feet  in  elevation. 

An  examination  of  the  map  will  give  a  better  idea  than  any  verbal 
explanation  can  do  of  the  character  and  position  of  the  subordinate  members 
of  the  crest  of  the  Sierra  in  this  region.  A  jagged  line  of  granite  pinnacles 
runs  from  the  head  of  the  San  Joaquin  River  northwest,  for  about  twenty 
miles,  beginning  at  the  Minarets  and  ending  at  Cathedral  Peak.  Movmt 
Ritter,  Mount  Lj-ell,  and  Mount  Maclure  are  the  only  points  in  this  range 
that  we  have  named  ;  *  they  are  all  about  13,000  feet  high. 

From  Mount  Lyell  starts  off  a  gi'and  sj)ur  connecting  with  the  Obelisk 
Group  Range,  which  runs  parallel  with  the  Mount  Lyell  Range  and  about 
ten  miles  from  it.  About  the  same  distance  from  the  latter,  in  the  opposite 
direction  from  the  Obelisk  Group,  is  another  seiTated  line  of  peaks,  of  which 
Mount  Conness  is  the  culminating  point.  Connecting  the  Mount  Lyell  and 
the  Mount  Conness  ranges,  and  forming  the  main  divide  of  the  Sierra,  in 
this  part,  is  a  series  of  elevations  which  have  rounded  summits  and  rather 
gently  sloping  sides,  contrasting  in  the  most  marked  manner  with  the  pin- 
nacles and  obelisks  of  the  other  ranges.  This  portion  of  the  Sierra  I'uns 
north  and  south,  and  has  as  its  dominating  mass  Mount  Dana,  which  appears 
to  be  the  highest  point  anywhere  in  this  region,  and  which  was,  for  a 
considerable  time,  supposed  by  us  to  be  the  highest  of  the  whole  Sierra, 
with  the  exception  of  Mount  Shasta.  Mount  Dana  and  Mount  Lyell  are  so 
nearly  of  the  same  height  that  the  difference  foils  within  the  limits  of  possible 

*  Ritter  is  the  name  of  the  great  German  geographer,  the  founder  of  the  science  of  moflem 
comparative  geography.  To  the  pioneer  of  American  geologj',  William  JIacluro,  one  of  the  dom- 
inating peaks  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  is  very  properly  dedicated. 


102  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

instrumental    error;    but    on    levelling,  with    a    pocket-level,  from    one   to  the 
other,  the  former  seemed  to  be  a  little  the  higher  of  the  two. 

Mount  Dana  is  the  second  peak  north  of  the  pass  ;  the  one  between  that 
mountain  and  the  pass  is  called  ^Siount  Gibbs.  Between  the  two  is  a  gap 
somewhat  lower  than  the  Mono  Pass,  but  descending  too  steeply  on  the 
eastern  side  to  admit  of  use  without  considerable  excavation.  There  is  also 
another  pass  on  the  north  side  of  Mount  Dana,  as  represented  on  the  map ; 
this  is  about  600  feet  lower  than  the  Mono  Pass,  and  might  probably  be 
made  available  with  a  small  expenditure.  From  the  sxmimit  everywhere 
to  the  east,  the  descent  is  exceedingly  rapid  ;  that  through  "  Bloody  Canon," 
as  the  east  slope  of  the  Mono  Pass  is  called,  lets  the  traveller  down  4,000 
feet  in  three  miles.  The  total  descent  from  the  summit  of  ]\Ioxmt  Dana 
to  Mono  Lake  is  6,773  feet,  and  the  horizontal  distance  only  six  miles,  or 
over  1,100  feet  fall  to  the  mile. 

"We  ascended  Mount  Dana  twice  from  the  south  side  without  difficulty, 
sliding  down  on  the  snow  for  a  considerable  poi-tion  of  the  way,  on  the 
retm-n,  making  a  descent  of  about  1,200  feet  in  a  couple  of  minutes.  We 
have  been  told,  however,  that  the  approach  to  the  summit  from  the  opposite 
side  is  much  easier,  and  that  it  is  even  possible  to  ride  a  horse  nearly  to 
the  top  from  the  northwest.  The  height  was  determined  by  us  to  be  13,227 
feet,  and  it  need  hardly  be  added  that  the  view  from  the  summit  is  sul^lime. 
Every  tourist  who  wishes  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  the  high  mountain 
scenery  of  California  shovdd  climb  Mount  Dana;  those  who  ascend  no  higher 
than  the  Yosemite,  and  never  penetrate  into  the  heart  of  the  mountains, 
should  never  undertake  to  talk  of  having  seen  the  Sierra  Nevada;  —  as  well 
claim  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  Bernese  Oberland  after  having  spent 
a  day  or  two  in  Berne,  or  wath  Mont  Blanc  after  visiting  Geneva.  The 
Yosemite  is  something  by  itself;  it  is  not  the  High  Sierra,  it  belongs  to  an 
entirely  different  type  of  scenery.  From  ]\Iount  Dana,  the  innumerable  peaks 
and  ranges  of  the  Sien-a  itself,  stretQhing  off  to  the  north  and  south,  form, 
of  course,  the  great  feature  of  the  view.  To  the  east,  ]\Iono  Lake  lies  spread 
out,  as  on  a  map,  at  a  depth  of  nearly  7,000  feet  below,  while  beyond  it 
rise,  chain  aV)0ve  cliain,  the  lofty  and,  here  and  there,  snow-clad  ranges  of 
the  Great  Basin,  —  a  region  which  may  w^ell  be  called  a  wilderness  of  moun- 
tains, barren    and  desolate   in  the  highest  degree,  but  possessing  many  of  the 


THE   HIGH   SIERRA.  103 

elements  of  the  sublime,  especially  vast  extent  and  wonderful  variety  and 
grouping  of  mountain  forms. 

The  upper  part  of  Mount  Dana  is  not  granite,  as  are  almost  all  the 
smTOunding  peaks.  It  is  made  up  of  slate,  very  metamorphic  near  the  sum- 
mit, and  showing,  farther  down,  esiDecially  on  the  south  side,  alternating 
bands  of  bright  green  and  deep  reddish-brown,  and  producing  a  very  pleasing 
effect,  by  the  contrast  of  these  brilliant  colors,  especially  when  the  surface 
is  wet.  This  belt  of  metamorphic  rock  is  seen  to  extend  for  a  great  distance 
to  the  north,  giving  a  roinided  outline  to  the  summits  in  that  direction, 
of  which  Mount  Warren,  about  six  miles  distant  and  13,000  feet  high,  as 
near  as  we  could  estimate,  is  one  of  the  most  prominent.  The  contrast 
between  the  contours  of  the  metamoi-phic  summits  of  the  Sierra  and  the 
granitic    ones  will    be    seen    on    comparing    Plates    VII.    and    VIII. 

Along  the  western  and  southern  slopes  of  Mount  Dana  the  traces  of  ancient 
glaciers  are  very  distinct,  up  to  a  height  of  12,000  feet.  In  the  gap  directly 
south  of  the  summit  a  mass  of  ice  must  once  have  existed,  having  a  thick- 
ness of  at  least  800  feet,  at  as  high  an  elevation  as  10,500  feet.  From  all 
the  gaps  and  valleys  of  the  west  side  of  the  range,  tributary  glaciers  came 
down,  and  all  united  in  one  grand  mass  lower  in  the  valley,  where  the 
medial  moraines  which  accumulated  between  them  are  perfectly  distinguish- 
able, and  in  places  as  regularly  formed  as  any  to  be  seen  in  the  Alps  at 
the  present  day.  On  the  eastern  side  of  the  pass,  also,  the  traces  of  former 
glacial  action  are  very  marked,  from  the  summit  down  to  the  foot  of  the 
canon;  and  there  are  several  small  lakes  which  are  of  the  kind  known 
as  "moraine  lakes,"  formed  by  the  damming  up  of  the  gorge  by  the  ter- 
minal moraines  left  by  the  glacier  as  it  melted  away  and  retreated  up  the 
caiion. 

Of  the  high  peaks  adjacent  to  Mount  Dana,  Mount  Warren  was  ascended 
by  Mr.  Wackenreuder,  and  Mount  Conness  by  Messrs.  King  and  Gardner. 
The  latter  was  reached  by  following  a  moraine  which  forms,  as  Mr.  King 
remarks,  a  good  graded  road  all  the  way  round  from  Soda  Springs  to  the 
very  foot  of  the  movmtain.  The  ascent  was  difficult  and  somewhat  hazardous, 
the  approach  to  the  summit  being  over  a  knife-blade  ridge,  which  might 
be  trying  to  the  nerves  of  the  xininitiated  in  mountain  climbing.  The  summit 
is   12,692  feet  above  the  sea-level,  and  is  of  granite,  forming  great  concentric 


104 


THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 


plates    dipping  to  the  west.     Of   course,  the  view,  like  all  from  the  dominant 
peaks  of  this  region,  is  extensive,  and  gi-and  beyond  all  description. 

Our  party  also  ascended  the  Blount  Lyell  fork,  following  \ip  the  valley 
of  that  stream.  From  near  the  head  of  it,  the  sketch  was  taken  which  is 
reproduced  in  Plate  VIII.  and  which  gives  a  good  idea  of  the  Alpine 
character  of  this  portion  of  the  SieiTa.     The  highest  point  of  the  group  was 

Fi£.  13. 


SUMMIT  OF   MOrXT   LYELL. 


ascended  by  Messrs.  Brewer  and  Hoffmann;  but  they  were  unable  to  reach 
the  very  summit,  which  was  found  to  be  a  sharp  and  inaccessible  pinnacle 
of  granite  rising  above  a  field  of  snow.  (See  Fig.  13.)  By  observations 
taken  at  a  station  estimated  to  be  150  feet  below  the  top  of  this  pinnacle. 
Mount  Lyell  was  found  to  be  13,217  feet  high.  The  ascent  was  difficult,  on 
account  of  the  body  of  snow  which  had  to  be  traversed,  and  which  Avas 
softened  by  the  sun,  so  that  climbing  in  it  was  very  laborious.  This  trouble 
might  have  been  obviated,  however,  by  camping  nearer  the  summit  and 
ascending  before  the  sun  had  been  up  long  enough  to  soften  the  snow.  The 
culminating  peaks  of  Mo\mt  Lyell  have  a  gi-adual  slope  to  the  northeast ; 
but  to  the  south  and  southwest  they  break  off  in  precipices  a  thousand  feet 
or  more  in  height.     Between  these  cliffs,  on  that  side,  a  vast  amphitheatre  is 


THE   HIGH   SIERRA.  105 

included,  once  the  birthplace  of  a  gi\and  glacier,  which  flowed  down  into  the 
caiion  of  the  Merced.  From  this  point,  the  views  of  the  continuation  of 
the  chain  to  the  southeast  are  magnificent.  Hundreds  of  points,  in  that 
direction,  rise  to  an  elevation  of  over  12,000  feet,  mostly  in  jagged  pinnacles 
of  o'ranite,  towering  above  extensive  snow-fields,  with  small  plateaus  l)etween 
them.  This  continuation  of  the  range  to  the  southeast  of  Mount  Lyell  was 
afterwards  visited  by  another  party,  and  the  peak  called  on  the  map  Mount 
Ritter  was  ascended,  as  will  be  noticed  farther  on,  after  completing  the  tour 
around  the  Yosemite. 

If  the  traveller  has  ascended  Mount  Dana,  he  will  probably  desire  to 
return  down  the  Tuolumne  Valley  and  continue  his  journey  on  the  trail 
leading  south  of  Cloud's  Rest,  to  the  Little  Yosemite  and  Sentinel  Dome, 
and  so  back  to  Clark's  Ranch.  This  trail  strikes  directly  south  from  the 
crossing  of  the  Tuolumne,  a  little  below  Soda  Springs,  and  passes  close  under 
Cathedral  Peak,  on  the  west  side,  then  along  the  back,  or  east  side  of 
Cloud's  Rest,  and  down  into  the  Little  Yosemite  Valley,  as  it  is  called. 

This  is  a  flat  valley  or  mountain  meadow,  about  four  miles  long  and  from 
half  a  mile  to  a  mile  wide.  It  is  enclosed  between  walls  from  2,000  to 
3,000  feet  high,  with  numerous  projecting  buttresses  and  angles,  topped  with 
dome-shaped  masses.  At  the  upper  end  of  the  valley  it  contracts  to  a 
V-shaped  gorge,  throvigh  which  the  Merced  rushes  with  rapid  descent,  over 
huge  masses  of  debris.  The  Little  Yosemite  Valley  is  a  little  over  G,000  feet 
above  the  sea-level,  or  2,000  above  the  Yosemite,  of  which  it  is  a  kind  of 
continuation,  being  on  the  same  stream,  —  namely,  the  main  Merced,  —  and 
only  a  short  distance  above  the  Nevada  Fall,  from  the  summit  of  which  easy 
access  may  be  had  to  it,  whenever  the  bridge  across  the  river  between  the 
Vernal  and  Nevada  Falls  has  been  rebuilt.  This  bridge,  which  was  carried 
away  in  the  winter  of  18G7-68,  obviated  the  necessity  of  a  very  circuitous 
and  difiicult  climb,  to  get  from  the  base  of  the  Nevada  Fall  to  its  summit, 
the  ascent  being  quite  easy  on  the  north  side  of  the  river.  On  the  south 
side,  about  midway  up  the  Valley,  a  cascade  comes  sliding  down  in  a  clear 
sheet  over  a  rounded  mass  of  gi-anite ;  it  was  estimated  at  1,200  feet  in 
height.  The  concentric  structure  of  the  granite  is  beautifully  marked  in  the 
Little  Yosemite  ;  the  curious  rounded  mass,  called  the  Sugar  Loaf,  is  a  good 
instance  of  this. 

14 


106  THE  YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

The  trail,  leaving  the  Little  Yosemite,  crosses  the  divide  between  the 
Merced  and  the  lllilouette,  then  the  last-named  stream,  passing  to  the  west 
of  Mount  Starr  King,  ant)ther  of  those  remarkable  conical  knobs  of  granite, 
of  which  there  is  quite  a  group  in  this  vicinity.  From  various  points  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  Yosemite  Valley,  from  which  one  can  look  up  the  lllilouette 
Canon,  the  summit  of  Mount  Starr  King  is  just  visible  in  the  distance, 
nearly  concealed  behind  another  of  these  domes  or  cones,  the  two  being  with 
difficulty  to  be  distinguished  from  each  other,  except  when  the  sunlight 
happens  to  Ml  on  one  and  not  on  the  other,  which  is  necessarily  something 
of  rather  rare  occurrence.  Starr  King  is  the  steepest  cone  in  the  region, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Half  Dome,  and  is  exceedingly  smooth,  having 
hardly  a  break  in  it ;  the  summit  is  quite  inaccessible,  and  we  have  not 
been  able  to  measiire  its  height. 

There  is  nothing  more  of  particular  interest  in  this  vicinit}^  nor  before 
reaching  Westfall's  meadows,  except  the  Sentinel  Dome.  This  may  be  visited 
fi-oni  Ostrander's,  from  which  a  trail  has  been  blazed,  or  from  the  lllilouette 
Valley  direct,  on  the  retvirn  route.  Horses  may  be  ridden  nearly  to  its 
summit,  which  is  a  great  rounded  mass  of  granite,  with  a  few  straggling 
pines  on  it.  The  view  it  commands  is  indeed  sublime.  Looking  directly 
across  the  Yosemite,  we  have  on  the  left  the  snow-covered  mass  of  Mount 
Hoffmann,  and,  nearly  under  it,  the  rounded  summit  of  the  North  ■  Dome, 
and  another  similar  mass  of  granite  near  it.  In  the  centre  of  the  field,  the 
view  extends  directly  up  the  Tenaya  Canon,  past  the  stupendous  vertical 
face  of  the  Half  Dome,  on  to  the  bare  regular  slope  of  Cloud's  Rest,  while 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  canon  we  see  Mount  Watkins,  and,  in  the 
distance,  the  serrated  crest  of  the  Sierra.  The  points  next  to  the  left  of 
Cloud's  Rest,  and  directly  over  the  Tenaya  Canon,  belong  to  the  Cathedral 
Peak  and  Unicorn  Peak  ranges,  which  are  such  prominent  features  in  the 
view  from  Soda  Springs.  The  tip  of  Cathedral  Peak  is  just  seen  rising  above 
the  intei-\'ening  ranges.  Beyond,  in  the  farthest  distance,  we  have  the  higher 
range  of  ]\Ioimt  Conness  and  the  adjacent  peaks.  The  Half  Dome  is  the 
great  feature  in  this  view,  and  no  one  can  form  any  conception  of  its  grandeur 
who  has  only  seen  it  from  the  Valley  below.  On  the  Sentinel  Dome  we  are 
4,150  feet  above  the  Valley;  but  still  lack  587  feet  of  being  as  high  as  the 
summit  of  the  Half  Dome. 


THE    HIGH    SIERRA.  '    107 

Facing  the  east,  we  have  directly  in  front  the  Nevada  Fall,  with  the  Cap 
of  Liberty  on  the  left  of  it.  Just  above  the  latter  we  look  into  the  Little 
Yosemite,  and  see  a  spot  of  its  level  flooi',  surrounded  by  bare,  shelving 
gi-anite  masses.  On  the  extreme  left  is  a  small  portion  of  the  bare  side 
of  the  Half  Dome,  and  the  fixrthest  point  to  the  right  is  the  Obelisk,  or 
Mount  Clark,  the  most  western  and  dominating  point  of  the  Merced  Group, 
its  sides  streaked  with  snow.  In  the  extreme  distance  is  the  mass  of  moun- 
tains which  we  have  called  the  Mount  Lyell  Group.* 

Looking  towaixls  the  southeast,  we  have  a  grand  view  of  the  whole  of  the 
Merced  Group,  in  the  distance,  the  Obelisk  on  the  left,  and  the  three  other 
principal  peaks  to  the  right.  Just  midway  between  the  Sentinel  Dome  and 
the  Obelisk  is  the  cm-ious  elevation  called  Mount  Starr  King,  mentioned 
before  as  being  an  extremely  steep,  bare,  inaccessible  cone  of  granite,  sur- 
rounded by  several  others  of  the  same  pattern,  but  of  smaller  dimensions. 

The  Sentinel  Dome  may  easily  be  reached  by  the  traveller  to  the  Yosemite, 
by  stopping  over  a  day,  on  the  way  to  or  from  the  Valley,  at  Westfall's 
meadow.  It  makes  just  a  pleasant  day's  excursion  to  ride  to  the  Dome  and 
back,  with  a  few  hours  to  remain  on  the  summit.  But  if  one  is  in  a  hurry, 
it  is  possible  to  make  the  ti'ip  and  return  in  time  to  reach  either  Clark's 
or  the  Yosemite  before  night.  To  visit  this  region  and  not  ascend  Sentinel 
Dome,  is  a  mistake ;  only  those  who  have  had  the  pleasure  of  making  this 
excursion  can  appreciate  how  much  is  lost  by  not  going  there. 

There  is  one  point  overhanging  the  Valley,  about  half  a  mile  northeast 
of  the  Sentinel  Dome,  and  directly  in  a  line  with  the  edge  of  the  Half  Dome. 
This  is  called  Glacier  Point,  and  the  view  from  it  combines  perhaps  more 
elements  of  beauty  and  grandeur  than  any  other  single  one  about  the  Valley. 
The  Nevada  and  Vernal  Falls  are  both  plainly  in  sight,  and  directly  over 
them  is  the  Obelisk,  with  a  portion  of  the  range  extending  off  to  the  right, 
until  concealed  behind  the  conical  mass  of  Momit  StaiT  King.  To  the  left 
of  the  Cap  of  Liberty  is  the  depression  in  which  lies  the  Little  Yosemite, 
and  beyond  this,  in  the  farthest  distance,  the  lofty  summits  of  the  Mount 
Lyell  Group.  The  pines  fringing  the  edge  of  Glacier  Point  are  the  Pinus 
Jeffreyi.       The  view  of  the  Half   Dome  from  this  point  is  stupendous,  as  the 

*  Mount   Lyell   and   Mount   !Maclure   are   two  dark  points  visible  to  the  right  and  the  left  of  a 
snow-covered  peak,  rising  in  the  furthest  distance  between  the  Nevada  Fall  and  the  Cap  of  Liberty. 


108  '  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

spectator  is  very  near  to  tliut  object,  and  in  a  position  to  see  it  almost 
exactly  edgewise.  Wc  regret  that  we  are  not  able  to  give  a  figure  of  it  fruni 
this  point  of  view.  Language  is  powerless  to  exjjress  the  effect  which  this 
gigantic  mass  of  rock,  so  ntterly  nnlike  anything  else  in  the  world,  produces 
on  the  mind. 

We  have  tlius  conducted  the  traveller  around  the  Valley,  and  given  liini 
as  many  hints  as  our  space  will  admit  as  to  the  character  and  locality 
of  the  objects  to  be  seen  on  the  route.  A  week  is  surely  very  little  to 
devote  to  this  excursion ;  and,  when  we  consider  how  mnch  can  be  seen  and 
enjoyed  during  this  time,  it  seems  as  if  every  one  would  be  desirous  of 
taking  the  opportunity  of  being  at  the  Yosjmite  to  make  this  addition  to  his 
travelling  experience.  The  time  will  certainly  come  when  this  will  be  fully 
recognized,  and  when  the  rather  indistinct  ti*ail  around  the  Valley  will  be  as 
well  beaten  as  is  now  the  one  which  leads  into  it. 

For  those  who  desire  to  extend  their  knowledge  of  the  High  Sierra  still 
fai'ther,  there  are  numerous  mountains,  peaks,  passes,  and  valleys  to  be 
visited,  each  one  of  which  has  its  own  peculiar  beataties  and  attractions. 

The  Merced  Group,  Avhich  is  so  conspicuous  an  object  in  the  view  from 
Sentinel  Dome  and  many  other  points  about  the  Yosemite,  offers  a  fine  field 
for  exploration.  This  group  is  a  side-range,  parallel  with  the  main  one,  and 
about  twelve  miles  from  it.  It  rims  from  a  point  near  the  Little  Yosemite, 
for  about  twelve  miles,  and  then  meets  the  transverse  I'ange  coming  from 
Mount  Lyell  and  forming  the  divide  between  the  San  Joaquin  and  the 
Merced.  Intersecting  this,  the  Merced  Group  is  continued  to  the  southeast, 
,  and  runs  into  a  high  peak,  called  Black  Mountain ;  it  then  fiills  off,  and 
becomes  lost  in  the  plateau  which  borders  the  San  Joaquin. 

At  the  northeast  extremity  of  the  group  is  the  grand  peak  to  which  we 
first  gave  the  name  of  the  "Obelisk,"  from  its  peculiar  shape,  as  seen  from 
the  region  to  the  north  of  the  Yosemite.  It  has,  since  that,  been  named 
Mount  Clark,  while  the  range  to  which  it  belongs  is  sometimes  called  the 
Obelisk  Group,  but,  oftener,  the  Merced  Group,  because  the  branches  of  that 
river  head  around  it.  This  is  a  noble  range  of  moimtains,  Avith  fom-  con- 
spicxious  summits  and  many  others  of  less  prominence.  The  dominating 
peaks  all  lie  at  the  intersection  of  spui's  with  the  main  range,  as  will  be 
seen    on    the    map.       Mount    Clark,    or    the    Obelisk,   is    the    one    nearest    the 


THE    HIGH    SIERRA.  109 

Yosemite.  All  these  peaks  are  neai-ly  of  the  same  height.  The  one  next 
south  of  the  Obelisk  was  called  the  Gray  Peak,  the  next  the  Red  Mountain, 
and  the  next  Black  Mountain,  from  the  various  colors  which  predominate  on 
their  upper  poitions.  The  last  name  had,  however,  been  previously  given 
to  the  highest  point  of  the  mass  of  ridges  and  peaks  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  range,  south  of  the  divide  between  the  San  Joaquin  and  the 
Merced.  All  these  points,  except  Gray  Peak,  have  been  climbed  by  the 
Geological  Survey,  and  they  ai'e  all  between  11,500  and  11,700  feet  in 
elevation.  Mount  Clark  was  found  to  be  an  extremely  sharp  crest  of  granite, 
and  was  not  climbed  without  considerable  risk.  Mr.  King,  who,  with  Mr, 
Gardner,  made  the  ascent  of  the  peak,  says  that  its  summit  is  so  slender, 
that  when  on  top  of  it  they  seemed  to  be  suspended  jn  the  air. 

An  examination  of  the  map  will  show  how  the  spurs  of  the  Merced  Group 
break  off  in  bold  precipices  to  the  north,  with  a  more  gradual  descent  to  the 
south,  —  a  peculiarity  already  mentioned  as  existing  at  the  summit  of  Mount 
Hoffmann.  The  same  is  the  case  with  the  long  crested  ridge  which  forms 
the  divide  between  the  waters  of  the  Merced  and  the  San  Joaquin.  All 
these  spm'S  and  ridges  open  to  the  north  with  grand  amphitheatres,  where 
great  glaciers  once  headed.  The  space  enclosed  between  the  Merced  Group, 
the  Mount  Lyell  Group,  and  the  divide  of  the  San  Joaquin  and  Merced, 
forms  a  grand  plateau  about  ten  miles  square,  into  which  project  the  various 
spurs,  coming  down  in  parallel  order,  while  in  the  centre  there  is  a  deep 
trough,  sunk  2,000  feet  below  the  general  level,  in  which  runs  the  Merced. 
The  views  from  all  the  dominating  points  on  the  ridges  surrounding  this 
plateau  are  sublime,  the  region  being  one  of  the  wildest  and  most  inaccessible 
in  the  Sieira. 

Our  party,  in  charge  of  Mr.  King,  made  an  attempt  to  climb  Mount 
Ritter,  but,  on  account  of  the  unfavorable  weather,  did  not  succeed  in  quite 
reaching  the  summit.  They  approached  it  from  the  southwest,  passing  to 
the  south  of  Buena  Vista  Peak  and  Black  Mountain.  The  Merced  divide  was 
found  to  be  everywhere  impassable  for  animals.  Mr.  King  evidently  considers 
Mount  Ritter  the  culminating  point  of  this  portion  of  the  Sierra,  as  he  says 
that  he  climbed  to  a  point  about  as  high  as  Mount  Dana,  and  had  still 
above  him  an  inaccessible  peak  some  400  or  500  feet  high.  To  the  south 
of   this    are    some    grand  pinnacles  of  gi'anite,  very  lofty  and  apparently  inac- 


110  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

cessible,  to  which  we  gave  the  name  of  "the  Minarets."  Our  space  is  not 
sufficient  to  enable  ns  to  go  into  a  description  of  this  region  ;  suffice  it  to 
say  that  there  are  here  numerous  peaks,  yet  unsealed  and  unnamed,  to  which 
the  attention  of  mountain  climbers  is  invited.  Any  one  of  them  will  furnish 
a  panoramic  view  which  will  surely  repay  the  lover  of  Alpine  scenery  for  the 
expenditure  of  time  and  nuiscle  required  for  its  ascent. 

There  is  a  very  interesting  locality  on  the  Tuolumne  River,  about  sixteen 
miles  from  the  Yosemite  in  a  straight  line,  and  in  a  direction  a  little  west 
of  north.  It  is  called  the  Hetch-Hetchy  Valley,  an  Indian  name,  the  mean- 
ing of  which  we  have  been  unable  to  ascertain.  It  is  not  only  interesting 
on  account  of  the  beauty  and  gi-andeur  of  its  scenery,  but  also  because  it  is, 
in  manv  respects,  almost  an  exact  counterpart  of  the  Yosemite.  It  is  not  on 
quite  so  grand  a  scale  as  that  valley ;  but,  if  there  were  no  Yosemite,  the 
Hetch-Hetchy  would  be  foirly  entitled  to  a  world-wide  fame ;  and,  in  spite 
of  the  superior  attractions  of  the  Yosemite,  a  visit  to  its  counterpart  maj'  be 
recommended,  if  it  be  only  to  see  how  curiously  Nature  has  repeated  herself. 

The  Hetch-Hetchy  may  be  reached  easily  from  Big  Oak  Flat,  by  taking 
the  regular  Yosemite  trail,  by  Sprague's  ranch  and  Big  Flume,  as  far  as  Mr. 
Hardin's  fence,  between  the  south  and  middle  forks  of  the  Tuolumne  River. 
Here,  at  a  distance  of  about  eighteen  miles  from  Big  Oak  Flat,  the  trail 
turns  off  to  the  left,  going  to  Wade's  meadows,  or  Big  Meadows  as  they  are 
also  called,  the  distance  being  about  seven  miles.  From  Wade's  ranch  the 
trail  crosses  the  middle  fork  of  the  Tuolumne,  and  goes  to  the  "  Hog  ranch," 
a  distance  of  five  miles,  then  up  the  divide  between  the  middle  fork  and  the 
main  river,  to  another  little  ranch  called  "the  Caiion."  From  here,  it  winds 
down  among  the  rocks  for  six  miles,  to  the  Hetch-Hetchy,  or  the  Tuolumne 
Caiion.  This  trail  was  made  by  Mr.  Joseph  Screech,  and  is  Avell  blazed,  and 
has  been  used  for  driving  sheep  and  cattle  into  the  Valley.  The  whole 
distance  from  Big  Oak  Flat  is  called  thirty-eight  miles.  i\Ir.  Screech  first 
visited  this  place  in  1850,  at  which  time  the  Indians  had  possession.  The 
Pah  Utes  still  visit  it  every  year  for  the  purpose  of  getting  the  acorns, 
having  driven  out  the  western  slope  Indians,  just  as  they  did  from  the 
Yosemite. 

The  Hetch-Hetchy  is  between  3,800  and  3,900  feet  above  the  sea-level, 
or  nearly  the   same   as   the   Yosemite ;   it  is   three  miles  long  east  and  west, 


THE   HIGH   SIERRA.  Ill 

but  is  divided  into  two  parts  by  a  spui-  of  granite,  which  nearly  closes  it  up 
in  the  centre.  The  portion  of  the  Valley  below  this  spur  is  a  large  open 
meadow,  a  mile  in  length,  and  from  an  eighth  to  half  a  mile  in  width,  with 
excellent  gi-ass,  timbered  only  along  the  edge.  The  meadow  terminates  below 
in  an  extremely  narrow  canon,  through  which  the  river  has  not  sufficient  room 
to  flow  at  the  time  of  the  spring  freshets,  so  that  the  Valley  is  then 
inundated,  giving  rise  to  a  fine  lake.  The  upper  part  of  the  Valley,  east 
of  the  spur,  is  a  mile  and  three  quarters  long,  and  from  an  eighth  to  a  third 
of  a  mile  wide,  well  timbered  and  grassed.  The  walls  of  this  Valley  are  not 
quite  so  high  as  those  of  the  Yosemite ;  but  still,  anywhere  else  than  in 
California,  they  would  be  considered  as  wonderfully  grand.  On  the  north 
side  of  the  Hetch-Hetchy  is  a  perpendicular  bluif,  the  edge  of  which  is  1,800 
feet  above  the  Valley,  and  having  a  remarkable  resemblance  to  El  Capitan. 
In  the  spring,  when  the  snows  are  melting,  a  large  stream  is  precipitated 
over  this  cliff",  falling  at  least  1,000  feet  perpendicular.  The  volume  of  water 
is  very  large,  and  the  whole  of  the  lower  part  of  the  Valley  is  said  to  be 
filled  with  its  spray. 

A  little  farther  east  is  the  Hetch-Hetchy  Fall,  the  counterpart  of  the 
Yosemite.  The  height  is  1,700  feet.  It  is  not  quite  perpendicular;  but 
it  comes  down  in  a  series  of  beautiful  cascades,  over  a  steeply-inclined  face 
of  rock.  The  volume  of  water  is  much  larger  than  that  of  the  Yosemite 
Fall,  and,  in  the  spring,  its  noise  can  be  heard  for  miles.  The  position 
of  this  fall  in  relation  to  the  Valley  is  exactly  like  that  of  the  Yosemite  Fall 
in  its  Valley,  and  opposite  to  it  is  a  rock  much  resembling  the  Cathedral 
Rock,  and  2,270  feet  high. 

At  the  upper  end  of  the  Valley  the  river  forks,  one  branch,  nearly  as  large 
as  the  main  river,  coming  in  from  near  Castle  Peak.  Above  this,  the  canon, 
so  far  as  we  know,  is  luiexplored ;  but,  in  all  probabilit}^  has  concealed  in  it 
some  grand  falls.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  great  glacier,  which,  as  already 
mentioned,  originated  near  Mount  Dana'  and  Mount  Lyell,  found  its  way 
down  the  Tuolumne  Canon,  and  passed  through  the  Hetch-Hetchy  Valley. 
How  far  beyond  this  it  reached  we  are  imable  to  say,  for  we  have  made  no 
explorations  in  the  caiion  below.  Within  the  Valley,  the  rocks  are  beautifully 
polished,  up  to  at  least  800  feet  above  the  river.  Indeed,  it  is  probable  that 
the    glacier  was  much  thicker  than  this ;    for,  along,  the  trail,  near  the  south 


112  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

end  of  the  Hetch-Hetchy,  a  moraine  was  observed  at  the  elevation  of  fully 
1,200  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  Valley.  The  great  size  and  elevation 
of  the  amphitheatre  in  which  the  Tuolumne  glacier  headed  caused  such  an 
immense  mass  of  ice  to  be  formed  that  it  descended  far  below  the  line 
of  perpetual  snow  before  it  melted  away.  The  plateau,  or  amphitheatre, 
at  the  head  of  the  Merced  was  not  high  enough  to  allow  a  glacier  to  be 
formed  of  sufficient  thickness  to  descend  down  as  far  as  into  the  Yosemite 
Valley;  at  least,  we  have  obtained  no  positive  evidence  that  such  was  the 
case.  The  statement  to  that  cftect  in  the  "  Geology  of  California,"  Vol.  I.,  is 
an  error,  although  it  is  certain  that  the  masses  of  ice  approached  very  near 
to  the  edge  of  the  Valley,  and  were  very  thick  in  the  canon  to  the  southeast 
of  Cloud's  Rest,  and  on  down  into  the  Little  Yosemite. 

This  chapter  may  be  closed  by  adding  a  few  pages  in  regard  to  a  portion 
of  the  High  SieiTa  beyond  the  limits  of  the  map  accompanying  this  volume, 
but  to  which  we  desire  to  direct  attention,  as  including  the  loftiest  and  the 
gi-andest  mountains,  and  the  most  stupendous  mountain  scenery,  yet  discovered 
within  our  own  territory. 

By  refen-iug  to  the  Table  on  page  39,  it  will  be  observed  that  between 
latitudes  36°  and  37°  there  are  peaks  and  passes  higher  than  those  described 
as  existing  near  the  Yosemite,  there  being  a  general  rise  of  the  mass  of  the 
Sien-a  as  we  go  south.  This  high  region,  in  which  the  passes  exceed  12,000, 
and  the  peaks  rise,  in  one  instance  at  least,  to  15,000  feet,  lies  at  the  head 
of  King's  and  Kern  Rivers  and  the  San  Joaquin.  The  most  elevated  peaks 
are  between  the  parallels  of  36°  30'  and  37°,  and  are  distant  from  the 
Yosemite,  in  a  southeast  direction,  from  90  to  110  miles.  This  region  was 
first  explored  by  the  Geological  Survey  in  .1864,  and  a  synopsis  of  the  results 
of  this  reconnoissance  wall  be  found  in  the  "Geology  of  California,"  Vol.  I.  (pp. 
365-402),  from  which  some  extracts  will  here  be  introduced,  in  the  hope 
of  attracting  the  attention  of  some  travellers,  who  may  thus  be  induced  to 
push  then'  explorations  beyond  the  comparatively  narrow  limits  of  a  trip 
to  and  around  the  Yosemite.  The  region  in  question  is  not  very  difficult 
of  access ;  indeed,  a  very  good  idea  of  its  grandeur  may  be  obtained  by  only 
a  short  trip  from  Visalia  and  back. 

Our  party,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Brewer,  Hoffmann,  King,  Gardner,  and 
Cotter,  took    the    field   in    ^May  and   proceeded  from  San  Francisco  across  the 


THE    HIGH    SIERRA.  113 

plains  of  the  San  Joaquin  to  Visalia,  from  which  point  they  entered  the 
Sierra,  ascending  King's  lliver  to  its  source,  and  exploring  the  whole  region 
about  the  head-waters  of  that  and  Kern  River.  Thence  they  made  their  way 
across  the  range  by  a  pass  over  12,000  feet  high,  passed  up  Owen's  Valley, 
ascended  the  west  branch  of  Owen's  River,  crossing  the  Sierra  again  at  an 
altitude  of  12,400  feet,  and  thence  descending  to  the  head  of  the  San  Joaquin 
River.  The  exploration  was  continued  through  the  region  of  the  head-waters 
of  that  stream  and  the  Merced,  connecting  the  reconnoissance  with  that  of 
1863  around  the  sources  of  the  Tuolumne.  The  whole  expedition  occupied 
about  three  months,  during  which  time  the  geogi-aphy  and  geology  of  a 
district  including  an  area  of  over  10,000  square  miles  were  for  the  first  time 
explored,  the  whole  region  having  previously  been  entirely  unknown.  The 
results  proved  to  be  of  the  greatest  interest,  disclosing  the  fact  that  this  was 
the  highest  part  of  the  SieiTa  Nevada,  which  was  something  quite  unexpected 
to  most  persons,  Mount  Shasta  having  long  been  considered  the  most  elevated 
point  in  California. 

Thomas's  Saw-mill  (Camp  1G4),  at  an  elevation  of  5,48-4  feet  above  the  sea, 
and  about  forty  miles  northeast  of  Visalia,  may  be  made  the  base  of  supplies 
for  an  expedition  to  this  region.  The  mill  stands  on  the  edge  of  a  beautiful 
meadow,  the  water  from  which  runs  into  King's  River.  It  is  surrounded 
by  a  magnificent  forest  of  the  usual  conifei'ous  trees  found  in  the  SieiTa 
at  this  altitude,  and  a  little  higher  up  the  Big  Trees  {Sequoia  gigcmtea)  are 
abundant,  as  will  be  noticed  in  the  next  chapter. 

A  rocky  summit,  called  Bald  Mountain,  about  six  miles  east  of  Thomas's 
Mill,  was  ascended  by  our  party  for  the  purpose  of  getting  the,  first  idea 
of  the  topography  of  the  unknown  region  about  to  be  visited.  It  is  easy 
of  access,  although  7,936  feet  high,  and  offers  a  fine  view  of  the  neighboring 
country  and  the  extended  crest  of  the  Sierra.  Its  position  is  at  once  seen 
to  be  on  the  great  elevated  divide  between  the  waters  of  King's  River  on 
the  north,  and  the  Kawcah  on  the  south.  This  divide  runs  up  to  the  snowy 
mountains  at  the  summit  of  the  chain,  and  appeared  to  terminate  in  the 
highest  gi-oup  of  peaks,  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  distant.  The  ridge 
of  the  divide  rises  at  intervals  into  peaks,  each  one  commanding  the  country 
on  cither  side  and  behind  it,  as  well  as  forward  to  the  east  as  far  as  the 
next  high  point  in  that  direction.  About  eight  or  nine  miles  to  the  north, 
15 


114  THE   YOSEMITE    GUIDE-BOOR. 

and  several  thousand  feet  below,  is  the  canon  of  King's  River,  which  seems 
precipitous  and  impassable.  Some  twenty  miles  to  the  northeast  this  river 
divides  into  two  branches,  and  the  course  of  the  northern  of  these  is  such 
that  the  observer  on  the  summit  of  Bald  Mountain  can  look  directly  into  it. 
The  view  is  most  impressive.  Granite  walls  with  buttresses,  pinnacles,  and 
domes  rise  perpendicularly  from  three  to  ti\e  thousand  feet  above  the  river, 
and  above  these  the  bare,  rocky  slopes  tower  up,  high  above  all  vegetation 
into  regions  of  perpetual  snow.  Dark  lines  of  trees  wind  up  the  ravines 
on  the  mountain-sides,  becoming  thinner  and  more  scattered,  until  they 
disappear  altogether,  the  summits  of  the  mountains  rising  far  above  all 
vegetation,  barren  and  desolate. 

Such  is  the  character  of  the  divide  between  the  main  forks  of  the  King's 
River,  although  the  southern  side  is  not  as  steep  as  the  northern.  Its  lofty 
summit,  everywhere  crested  with  precipices,  presented  an  insui'mountable 
baiTier,  over  which  our  party  never  succeeded  in  taking  their  animals.  Just 
at  the  junction  of  the  forks,  the  end  of  the  divide  is  crossed  by  a  broad  red 
stripe,  bearing  about  northwest,  and  which  could  be  seen  appearing  again  on 
the  north  side  of  the  canon.  This,  which  seemed  to  be  a  great  d^ke  of 
volcanic  rock,  but  which  was  afterwards  found  to  be  a  vein  of  gi-anite,  led 
to  giving  the  divide  the  name  of  "  Dyke  Ridge." 

An  attempt  was  first  made  to  reach  the  summit  of  the  Sierra  by  travelling 
up  this  divide,  an  old  Indian  trail  being  discovered  which  was  followed  for 
about  fifteen  miles.  This  trail  led  to  a  point  where  the  ridge  widened  out 
into  a  plateau  occiipied  by  a  large  meadow ;  a  number  of  cattle  had  been 
driven  here,  and  the  place  was  known  to  hunters  as  the  "  Big  Meadows." 
Camp  165  was  intermediate  between  Thomas's  and  the  Big  Meadows,  and 
was  7,480  feet  above  the  sea.  The  rock  along  the  whole  route  is  granite, 
which  has  a  tendency  to  weather  into  gi-and,  rounded,  boulder4ike  masses. 
Camp  166,  about  two  miles  l)elow  the  Big  Meadows,  but  nearly  at  the  same 
altitude,  was  at  an  elevation  of  7,827  feet.  Here  the  massive  gi'anite  is 
traversed  by  occasional  dykes  of  a  fine-gi'ained  variety  of  the  same  rock,  and 
with  veins  of  milky  quartz.  Large  areas  of  nearly  level  or  gently-sloping 
gi'ound  occur  here,  covered  with  meadows  or  forests  of  Finns  contorta,  and 
there  are  also  extensive  patches  of  bare  rock,  or  of  gi-anitic  sand  derived 
from    its    decomposition.      As    the    granite    decomposes    very    irregularly,    the 


THE   HIGH   SIERRA.  115 

harder  portions  rise  in  rocky,  rovmded  hills,  and  the  softer  are  occupied 
by  small  valleys.  A  series  of  these  grassy  plats,  five  or  six  miles  in  length, 
makes  up  the  Big  Meadows,  and  they  are  drained  in  both  directions,  namely, 
into  the  King's  and  Kaweah  Rivei's.  At  this  altitude  the  sugar  and  pitch 
pines,  as  well  as  the  Big  Trees,  are  left  behind,  and  the  forests  are  made  up 
of  the  dark  and  sombre  fir  and  Fimis  contorta.  Although  it  was  the  month 
of  June,  the  thermometer  sank  as  low  as  1G°  at  night,  and  a  snow-storm, 
of  three  or  foiu-  hours'  duration  occurred. 

Just  east  of  the  Big  Meadows,  and  on  the  summit  of  the  divide,  are  two 
elevations,  to  which  the  name  of  "  Dome  Mountains "  was  given,  from  the 
finely  rounded,  dome-like  sweep  of  their  outlines,  which  contrasts  in  a  striking 
manner  with  the  sharpness  of  the  summit  peaks  behind  them.  On  their 
southern  sides  the  forests  rise  in  an  unbroken  curve  to  their  summits  ;  but 
on  the  north  side  there  is  a  precipice  for  200  to  300  feet  below  the  crest, 
then  a  short,  concave  curve,  and  then  the  rounded  and  wooded  slope  descend- 
ing to  the  King's  River  Valley.  In  this  part  of  the  mountains,  as  at  the 
Yosemite,  the  granite  exhibits  a  tendency  to  form  dome-shaped  masses  on 
a  grand  scale  ;  but  on  the  very  crest  or  summit-range  it  rises  in  pinnacles, 
giving  a  very  different  character  to  the  scenery,  as  will  be  noticed  further 
on.  That  one  of  these  Dome  Mountains  which  was  ascended  was  found 
to  be  9,825  feet  high.  Its  summit  was  made  up  of  concentric  layers  or  beds 
of  granite,  from  one  to  five  feet  thick,  breaking  into  large  rectangular  masses 
sufficiently  smooth  and  regular  in  form  to  be  used  for  masonry  without 
dressing.  The  north  slope  of  the  mountain  is  covered  by  immense  masses 
of  this  angular  debris.  That  this  concentric  structure  is  not  the  result 
of  the  original  stratification  of  the  rock,  is  evident  from  a  study  of  the 
phenomena,  which  do  not  indicate  anything  like  anticlinal  or  synclinal  axes, 
or  any  irregular  folding.  The  curves  are  arranged  strictly  with  reference 
to  the  surftice  of  the  masses  of  rock,  showing  clearly  that  they  must  have 
been  produced  by  the  contraction  of  the  material  while  cooling  or  solidifying, 
and  also  giving  very  strongly  the  impression  that,  in  many  places,  we  see 
something  of  the  original  shape  of  the  surface,  as  it  was  when  the  gi-anitic 
mass  assumed  its  present  position.  In  the  canons  between  these  domes,  we 
sometimes  have  large  surfaces  exposed  by  denudation,  and,  as  a  result  of  the 
original  concentric    structure    of   the    rocks    on    each    side,  we    see    the    great 


116 


THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 


plates  of  granite  overlai)piiig'  each  other,  and  where  considerable  weathering 
and  denndation  has  taken  place,  we  have  picturesque  and  curious  forms  as 
the  residt ;  pyramids  and  ])innacles  ai-e  left  standing  on  the  prominent  points, 
and  their  bedded  str\icture  adds  to  the  pccidiar  impression  which  they  give 
of  their  being  works  of  art  rather  than  of  nature.  Fig.  14  will  serve  to 
illustrate  the  kind  of  scenery  which  is  common  in  the  region  of  this  concen- 
trically bedded  gi-anitc. 

Fijr.  14. 


GRANITE   ROCKS   NEAR  CAMP   169. 


The  route  follow^ed  by  the  party,  in  their  attempt  to  reach  the  summit, 
led  around  the  noi'th  side  of  the  Domes,  over  the  huge  jiiles  of  angidar 
fragments,  and  was  on  this  account  tedious  and  difficult.  Camp  167  was 
made  at  a  point  two  miles  northeast  of  the  Dome,  and  at  an  altitude  of 
8,890  feet  above  the  sea.  Camp  108  was  foiu-  or  five  miles  southeast  of  the 
Dome,  at  a  small  meadow  on  the  divide,  and  at  an  elevation  of  9,569  feet. 
Progi-ess  was  necessarily  very  slow,  owing  to  the  heavy  load  of  provisions 
and  instruments  with  which  the  small  train  of  animals  was  packed,  and  the 
extreme   roughness    of   the    region    travelled    over.      Beyond    the    Domes    the 


THE   HIGH   SIERRA.  117 

divide  contracts  to  a  mere  ridge ;  the  slope  to  the  soutli,  although  steep, 
is  comparatively  smooth,  and  spreads  out,  towards  its  base,  into  rolling 
wooded  spurs,  between  which  small  brooks  run  down  into  the  Kaweah. 
Nearl}^  all  these  streams  head  in  little  sedgy  meadows,  whose  bright  gi-ecn 
contrasts  beautifully  with  the  deep  shade  of  the  surrounding  forests.  To  the 
north,  the  aspect  of  things  was  different ;  instead  of  a  smooth  slope,  there 
was  a  fractured  granite  precipice,  descending  200  feet,  then  a  slope  of  debris, 
and  at  its  foot  two  small  lakes,  forming  the  head-waters  of  a  stream  which 
unites  with  the  south  fork  of  King's  River,  a  few  miles  above  the  dyke. 
This  stream  was  called  Glacier  Brook,  from  the  abundant  traces  of  former 
glacial  action  in  its  vicinity.  From  Camp  1G8  to  the  Big  Meadows  is  only 
sixteen  miles ;  but  so  difficult  was  the  way,  that  it  required  two  days  for  the 
party  to  accomplish  that  distance.  From  this  camp,  and  the  next  (No.  169), 
tw^o  miles  farther  up  the  divide,  an  examination  was  made  of  an  interesting 
and  characteristic  feature  in  the  topography  of  this  granitic  region,  and  to 
which  the  name  of  "The  Kettle"  was  given. 

This  is  a  rocky  amphitheatre  at  the  head  of  a  stream  which  flows  back 
directly  northeast  from  its  source  towards  the  axis  of  the  chain,  for  a 
distance  of  twelve  miles,  and  then  curves  and  entei'S  King's  River,  a  peculiar 
and  almost  unique  course  for  a  stream  in  the  Sierra  Nevada.  The  kettle-like 
form  of  the  head  of  this  valley  may  be  seen  from  the  annexed  section  across 

Fig.  15. 


SECTION  OF   THE    KETTLE. 


it    transversely,  at    a    distance  of   about  a  mile  from  its  head  (Fig.   15) ;  it  is 
plotted  on  an  equal  scale  of  horizontal  and  vertical  distances. 

The  northern  rim  {a)  is  about  1,100  feet  above  the  bottom  (h) ;  the 
southern  one  (c)  rises  in  a  sharp  ridge  1,606  feet  above  b ;  in  some  places  c  d 
is    a  vertical  wall,  in    others    a    steep    slope.       The    distance    from  a  to  c  is  a 


118 


THE    YOSEMITE    GUIDE-BOOK. 


little  less  than  a  mile.  The  Kettle  is  ojjen  at  the  north-northeast  end,  and 
extends  as  a  yreen  valley  some  six  miles,  to  the  south  fork  of  King's  llivei". 
There  are  several  small  domes  and  pinnacles  on  the  east  side,  and  in  some 
places  the  gi-anite  along  the  rim  forms  a  parapet,  which  has  a  striking 
resemblance  to  an  artificial  structm-e,  as  the  rock  is  most  beautifully  and 
regularly  bedded,  so  that  the  wall  seems  to  vie  with  the  most  finished 
mason-work  in  execution.  'J'he  annexed  woodcut  (Fig.  IG)  will  show  the 
exact  api)earance  of  a  portion  of  this  wall,  which  is  in  some  places  so  thin 
that  the  light  can  be  seen  shining  through  between  the  cracks.  It  is  from 
eight  to  twenty  feet  high. 

Fis.  16. 


RIM    OF   THE    KETTLE. 


This  rim  of  the  Kettle  is  a  beautiful  illustration  of  the  concentric  or 
"  dome-structure "  of  the  granite  of  this  region.  The  dotted  lines  in  Fig. 
15  show  the  bedding  or  lamination  of  the  rock,  in  the  cross-section  of  the 
whole,  and  Fig.  17  explains  how  the  parapet  has  been  formed  by  the  wear- 
ing away  of  a  part  of  the  concentrically-laminated  granite  near  the  summit. 
This  peculiar  crater-like  cavity  .in  the  granite  is  typical  of  many  others  seen 
afterwards  in  this  region,  the  origin  of  which  it  seems  impossible  to  refer  to 
any  ordinary  denudation,  or    to    the    action    of  glaciers.      These  cavities  were 


THE    HIGH    SIERRA. 


119 


all  occupied  by  masses  of  ice,  as  is   evi-  Fig.  17. 

dent    from    the     polish    of    the    interior 

walls  and  bottom  of  each  of  them  ;  but 

it    hardly  needs    to    be    added    that    no 

glacial  action  could  have  originally  formed 

one   of   these  kettles  ;    the   most  that   it 

could    do    would    be    to    scour    out    and 

polish    up    the    interior.       This    subject 

will  be   discussed   in  the   second  volume 

of  the   "Geology  of  California." 

Beyond  the  Kettle  the  divide  becomes  quite  impassable  for  animals,  and 
nearly  so  for  men.  Seve^'al  unsuccessful  trials  were  made  to  pass  the  barrier 
of  nearly  perpendicular  rocks ;  but,  at  last,  a  chink  in  the  granite  was  found, 
through  which  the  party  crawled,  and  proceeded  to  ascend  the  next  high 
peak  on  the  divide,  which  is  about  six  miles  southeast  of  Camp  169,  the 
elevation  of  which  was  found  to  be  11,62.3  feet  above  the  sea.  From  its 
summit  a  magnificent  view  was  obtained  of  the  crest  of  the  Sierra,  as  well 
as  of  the  divide  which  had  V)een  traversed  by  the  party.  The  region  to  the 
east  presented  a  complicated  system  of  very  sharp  ridges,  rising  here  and 
thei'e  into  pinnacles,  apparently  all  of  granite,  with  numerous  immense  circu- 
lar amphitheatral  cavities,  formed  by  sharp  ridges  siirrounding  basins,  of 
which  one  side  is  always  broken  away,  and  which  have  exactly  the  appear- 
ance of  ancient  craters  both  in  form  and  outline.  To  the  west  the  predomi- 
nance of  rounded  or  dome-shaped  mountain  summits  was  most  striking,  the 
whole  country  appearing  as  if  it  had  suddenly  been  cooled  or  congealed  while 
violently  boiling. 

Camp  170  was  about  seven  miles  north-northeast  of  No.  169,  in  the  valley 
of  the  stream  which  flows  from  the  Kettle,  and  at  an  altitude  of  7,408  feet, 
which  was  a  lower  point  than  was  afterwards  reached  by  the  party  for  a  long 
time.  The  way  to  this  camp  led  around  the  west  and  north  sides  of  the 
Kettle  over  a  region  exceedingly  difficult  to  traverse,  with  alternating  steep, 
naked  slopes  of  granite,  and  thick,  low  forests.  Some  of  the  ancient  moraines, 
piles  of  angular  fragments  of  granite,  were  almost  insurmountable  obstacles  to 
the  passage  of  the  animals.  This  camp  Avas  situated  behind  a  sharp  granite 
knob  which  rises  from  the  valley  like  a   sugar-loaf,  as    seen    from    below  ;    but 


120  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

which,  in  rcuHty,  is  the  end  of  a  ridge  a  mile  or  two  in  length.  This  is 
several  hundred  feet  high,  and  its  summit  is  quite  inaccessible.  Its  sides 
show  undoubted  evidence  that  it  was  once  surrounded  by  a  great  glacier 
flowing  down  the  valley.  The  slopes  directed  towards  the  moving  ice  are 
worn  and  polished,  and  huge  boulders  have  been  pushed  up  on  them,  and 
left  all  along,  wherever  the  angle  was  not  too  steep  for  fragments  of  rock  to 
lie.  The  meadow  occupies  a  basin  behind  this  knob,  which  appears  to  have 
been  scooped  out  by  a  glacier. 

From  the  Sugar  Loaf  Rock  there  is  a  magnificent  view  up  the  valley 
to  the  group  of  mountains  forming  the  western  crest  of  the  Sierra,  the 
culminating  point  of  which  was  named  Mount  Brewer.  This  was  directly 
east,  and  about  ten  miles  distant.  A  grand  view  was  also  had  of  the  gi-eat 
moraine  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  exti*eme  south  fork  of  King's  River  ;  this 
moraine  stretches  along  for  six  or  eight  miles  in  an  unbroken  line,  resembling 
an  immense  artificial  embankment.  There  is  another  one  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  valley  which  is  also  very  distinct,  but  the  eastern  one  is  much 
the  larger.  The  horizontal  distance  across  fi-om  one  to  the  other  is  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  At  a  distance  these  moraines  appear  as  regular  as  rail- 
road embankments,  their  crests  being  quite  smooth,  and  having  a  uniform 
and  gradual  inclination  up  the  valley.  To  ascend  or  descend  their  sides  with 
animals,  is  a  task  of  considerable  difficulty  ;  but,  once  on  the  top,  travelling 
is  quite  easy.  In  the  bottom  of  the  valley  the  granite  is  everywhere  grooved 
and  beautifully  polished. 

The  view  of  the  canon,  towards  its  head,  as  seen  from  this  moraine,  near 
Camp  175,  was  sublime,  strongh'  resembling  the  valley  of  the  Yosemite  in 
some  of  its  grandest  features.  It  curves  but  little,  so  that  the  view  is  unob- 
structed. Great  surfaces  and  precipices  of  naked  granite  are  seen,  often  over 
1,000  feet  high,  but  seldom  vertical,  although  sloping  at  a  very  high  angle ; 
these  sxu"faces  are  ever^^where  in  the  valley  rounded  and  polished.  Side 
canons  of  the  same  character,  but  still  more  precipitous,  open  into  the  main 
one. 

From  Camp  171,  Mount  Brewer  was  twice  ascended,  on  the  2d  and  4th 
of  July,  by  passing  up  the  valley  in  which  the  camp  was  situated,  and 
which  divides  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  extending  up  to  the  crest  of  the 
ridge.      Its    sides   were    foimd    to    be    very  steep    up    to    above    12,000    feet, 


THE    HIGH    SIERRA. 


121 


the  southern  one  being  an  uhnost  vortical  wall  of  1,000  feet  in  height.  The 
granite  of  this  region  is  hard,  not  very  coarse,  and  of  a  light  ash-gray  color, 
with  a  pearly  lustre  when  seen  in  gi-eat  masses.     It  is   intersected  with  veins 


Fisc.  IS. 


MOUNT    BREWEi:,    FHOM   A   POINT  TITKEE   MILES   DISTANT,    LOOKING   EAST. 

of  qnartz  and  also  of  feldspar,  and  with  some  made  np  of  a  mixture  of  both 
these  minerals ;  these  veins  were  rarely  more  than  two  or  three  feet  in 
thickness.  In  general,  however,  the  rock  is  remarkably  homogeneous  and 
almost  destitute  of  accidental  minerals,  a  little  epidote  being  the  only  one 
obsei-ved  in  this  region. 

The  view  from    the    sunnnit    of   Mount   Brewer  is  one  of   the  most  sublime 
16 


122  THE   YOSKMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

which  it  is  possible  to  obtain,  even  in  this  sublimcst  portion  of  the  Sierra. 
The  snowy  peaks,  rising  to  over  11,000  feet  in  elevation,  cover  a  breadth 
of  more  than  tweiity-Hve  miles,  and  the  point  of  view  on  the  summit  of  this 
mountain  is  such,  that  the  observer  is  placed  in  the  very  midst  of  this  grand 
assemblage.  High  peaks,  sharp  ridges  bristling  with  pinnacles,  rocky  amphi- 
theatres, and  deep  canons  constitute  the  main  features  of  the  scene.  The 
summit  is  a  loose  and  shattered  mass  of  angular  pieces  of  granite,  forming 
a  ridge  some  thirty  feet  long  by  five  broad,  which  from  the  west  appears  as 
a  sharp  cone.  The  eastern  side  of  the  mountain  is  a  precipice  buttressed 
by  a  thin  ridge,  running  out  between  two  gi-eat  vertically-walled  basins, 
white  with  snow%  which  contrasts  beautifully  with  the  vivid  blue  of  the 
frozen  lakes  3,000  feet  below. 

The  barometrical  measurements  make  the  height  of  Mount  Brewer  13,886 
feet ;  it  is  not,  however,  the  culminating  point  of  the  Sierra,  but  is  on 
a  spur  embraced  by  two  branches  of  King's  River.  Ten  miles  farther  east 
another  ridge  stretches  in  an  imbrokeu  line  north  and  south,  and  through 
its  depressions  the  blue  ranges  of  the  desert  are  plainlj^  seen.  On  this  ridge 
there  are  fourteen  peaks  A-isible,  ten  of  which  are  as  high  as  Mount  Brewer, 
and  four  higher.  One  of  these,  directly  opposite,  and  which  appeared  to  be 
the  highest  point  but  one,  was  called  Mount  Tyndall,  in  honor  of  this  distin- 
guished physicist  and  Alpine  exjjlorer.  The  other  high  point,  eight  miles 
south  of  Mount  Tyndall,  and,  so  far  as  known,  the  culminating  peak  of  the 
Sierra,  was  named  by  the  party  Mount  A\Tiitney.  Farther  observations, 
by  Mr.  King,  show^ed  that  a  point  about  two  miles  northeast  of  Mount 
Tyndall  was  a  little  higher  than  this  mountain ;  it  was  named  in  honor 
of  Major  R.  S.  Williamson,  of  the  United  States  Engineers,  so  well  known 
by  his  topographical  labors  on  the  Pacific  coast,  esj^ecially  in  connection  with 
the  United  States  railroad  surveys.  Thirtj'-two  miles  north-northwest  is  a 
very  high  moimtain,  called  Mount  Goddard,  in  honor  of  a  Civil  Engineer 
who  has  done  mixch  to  advance  our  knowledge  of  the  geogi'aphy  of  California, 
and  who  is  the  author  of  "  Britten  and  Rev's  ]\lap."  A  transverse  ridge 
running  obliqueh'  across  from  Blount  Brewer  to  Moimt  Tyndall  forms  the 
divide  between  the  head-waters  of  the  Kern  and  those  of  King's  River. 
South  of  this,  the  division  of  the  summit  of  the  Sierra  into  two  parallel 
ridges  is  very  marked,  the   Kern    flowing    in    the    tremendous    gorge    between 


THE   HIGH   SIERRA.  123 

them.  The  eastern  ridge  forms  an  almost  unbroken  wall  for  a  gi-eat  distance 
to  the  north,  while  the  western  one  is  less  distinctly  marked,  being  broken 
through  to  allow  of  the  passage  of  the  head-waters  of  the  King's  and  San 
Joaquin  Rivers.  The  highest  portion  of  the  western  ridge  is  that  extending 
between  Mount  Brewer  and  Kaweah  Peak,  twelve  luiles  to  the  south.  This 
last-named  peak  was  not  reached  by  our  part}-,  but  its  height  was  estimated 
to  be  over  14,000  feet.  From  its  gi'eat  elevation  and  peculiar  position, 
opposite  to  the  highest  point  of  the  Sierra,  and  the  immense  depth  of  the 
canon  of  the  Kern  between  it  and  Mount  Whitney,  it  would  })robably 
command  the  grandest  view  which  could  be  obtained  in  the  whole  range 
of  the  Sierra.  Kaweah  Peak  is  distinctly  visible  from  Visalia,  to  one  looking 
up  the  valley  of  the  Kaweah  River. 

Of  the  terrible  grandeur  of  the  region  embraced  in  this  portion  of  the 
Sierra  it  is  hardly  possible  to  convey  any  idea.  Mr.  Gardner,  in  his  notes 
of  the  view  from  Mount  Brewer,  thus  enumerates  some  of  the  most  striking- 
features  of  the  scene  :  "  Canons  from  two  to  five  thousand  feet  deep,  between 
thin  ridges  topped  with  pinnacles  sharp  as  needles ;  successions  of  great, 
crater-like  amphitheatres,  with  crowning  precipices  over  sweeping  snow-fields 
and  frozen  lakes ;  everywhere  naked  and  shattered  granite  without  a  sign 
of  vegetation,  except  where  a  few  gnarled  and  storm-beaten  pines  {Pinus 
contorta,  P.  alhicanlis,  and  P.  aristata)  cling  to  the  rocks  in  the  deeper 
canons ;  such  were  the  elements  of  the  scene  we  looked  down  upon,  while 
cold  gi-ay  clouds  were  drifting  overhead." 

The  upper  part  of  the  mountain  slopes  rapidly  on  all  sides  for  2,000  feet 
from  the  summit,  then  falls  off"  more  gradually  on  the  west  towards  the 
canon  of  the  south  fork  of  King's  River.  On  the  east,  it  breaks  off  sud- 
denly into  a  great  amphitheatre,  the  head  of  a  canon  between  4,000  and 
5,000  feet  deep  below  the  crest,  surrounded  by  sheer  vertical  walls,  and  with 
glacier-polished  slopes  at  the  bottom,  over  which  are  scattered  several  small 
and  beautiful  lakes.  These  canons  and  precipices,  which  lie  between  the  two 
principal  ridges,  constitute  the  main  difficulty  in  reaching  and  exploring  the 
eastern  summit  peaks.  The  region  is  desolate  and  cold  ;  but  these  hin- 
drances, incidental  to  all  high  mountain  climbing,  could  be  overcome,  were 
it  not  for  the  impassable  precipices  which  continually  block  the  way,  ne- 
cessitating   long    detours,    and    rendering    it    impossible    to     reach    any    high 


124  THE    VOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

peak  without  a  long  series  of  perilous  and  extremely  fatiguing  ascents  and 
descents. 

As  want  of  provisions  and  the  absolute  impossibility  of  proceeding  any 
ftirther  with  the  animals  were  sufficient  reasons  to  prevent  the  whole  party 
from  making  any  attempt  to  climb  the  sununit  of  the  eastern  ridge,  Mr. 
King  volunteei-ed  to  \mdertake  this  task,  although  it  seemed  to  most  of  the 
party  that  it  was  quite  impossible  to  reach  either  of  the  highest  peaks  from 
the  western  side.  Packing  provisions  for  six  days  and  one  blanket,  he 
started,  accompanied  by  Richard  Cotter,  from  the  camp  at  the  base  of  Mount 
Brewer,  July  4th,  and  the  following  account  of  the  trip,  in  which  the  sum- 
mit of  Moiuit  Tyndall  was  reached,  is  given  nearly  in  ^Ir.  King's  own 
woi'ds  :  — 

"  To  follow  down  the  ridge  which  forms  the  divide  between  King's  and 
Kern  Rivers,  and  which  runs  obliquely  across  from  Mount  Brewer  to  Mount 
Tyndall,  was  impossible,  for  it  rose  in  sharp  crags  above  us,  and  had  we 
been  able  to  pass  aroimd  these,  we  should  have  been  stopped  by  vertical 
clefts  over  a  thousand  feet  deep.  We  began,  therefore,  to  climb  down  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  ridge,  instead  of  trying  to  keep  on  its  crest.  The  only 
way  down  was  along  a  sloping  shelf,  on  which  we  were  obliged  to  proceed 
with  the  greatest  caution,  as  our  packs  had  a  constant  tendency  to  over- 
balance us,  and  a  single  misstep  would  have  been  fatal.  At  last  we  reached 
the  base  of  the  cliff  safely,  and  made  our  way  rapidly  down  a  long  snow- 
slope  and  over  huge  angular  masses  of  debris  to  the  margin  of  a  frozen 
lake. 

"We  were  now  in  the  amphitheatre;  the  crags  towering  around  us  were 
all  inaccessible,  and  we  were  obliged  to  spend  six  hours  in  climbing  down 
from  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  over  a  slope  of  smooth  granite,  polished  by 
glaciers  and  kept  constantly  wet  hj  a  shallow  current  of  water,  into  King's 
River  canon,  and  then  up  again  over  a  long,  difficult  debris  slope  and  aci'oss 
several  fields  of  snow,  into  another  amphitheatre.  Of  this  the  southern  wall 
is  the  divide  between  King's  and  Kern  Rivers.  The  sky  by  this  time  had 
become  quite  overcast,  and  we  were  obliged  to  take  refuge  \inder  some  over- 
hanging rocks,  while  a  severe  hail-storm  went  by.  We  started  on  again, 
hoping  to  cross  over  to  Kern  Canon ;  but  the  ascent  proved  very  difficult, 
and    night    overtook  us  at  the  foot  of  a  cliff   2,000  feet  high.     There  was  no 


THE   HIGH   SIERRA.  125 

wood,  so  we  burned  paper  and  dead  carices  enough  to  make  some  lukewarm 
tea,  and  finding  a  crevice  among  the  ice  and  granite  blocks,  somewhat 
sheltered  from  the  biting  winds,  we  retired.  The  elevation  was  over  12,000 
feet,  and  the  air  stinging  cold  ;  but  the  sunset  view  was  glorious.  The  east 
wall  of  the  basin  was  lirilliantly  lighted  up,  its  hundred  pinnacles  were  of 
piu'e  yellow,  relieved  by  the  dark  blue  of  the  sky,  which  is  so  noticeable 
when  one  looks  up  from  a  deep  canon  in  the  Sierra.  A  long  slope  of  snow 
opposite  us  warmed  with  a  soft  rosy  tinge  (the  Alpine  glow),  and  the  rugged 
ridge  boh  hid  us  cast  a  serrated  gray  shadow  across  it,  which  slowly  crejjt 
up  and  scaled  the  granite  wall,  until  only  the  very  topmost  spires  were  in 
the  light.  All  night  long,  large  masses  of  granite  came  crashing  down  from 
the  crags  overhead,  striking  at  times  too  near  for  comfort. 

*'  The  next  morning  we  ate  our  frozen  venison  by  starlight,  and  started  at 
siuirise  to  ascend  the  snow-slope  before  it  should  become  softened.  We  had 
to  cut  steps,  and  after  working  up  awhile  it  became  quite  difficult,  so  that 
we  were  three  hoiirs  in  reaching  the  rocks,  after  which  we  climbed  two  hoiu'S 
more,  until  we  came  to  a  very  bad  ravine  where  it  was  impossible  to  pro- 
ceed with  our  packs.  It  was  now  that  our  reata  came  into  play,  and  we 
took  turns  in  climbing  the  length  of  it,  and  pulling  packs  and  blankets  after 
us,  reaching  the  top  about  noon,  by  which  time  the  novelty  of  this  method 
of  ascent  had  quite  worn  offi  What  was  our  consternation  to  find  ourselves, 
as  we  scaled  the  summit,  on  the  brink  of  an  almost  Yosemite  cliff !  We 
walked  along  the  edge,  however,  for  some  distance,  until  at  last  we  discovered 
three  shelves,  each  about  fifty  feet  below  the  other,  from  the  lowest  of  which 
we  might,  by  good  luck  and  hard  climbing,  work  along  the  face  of  the  cliff 
to  a  sort  of  ravine,  down  which  we  might  probably  reach  the  debris.  I  tied 
the  reata  firmly  about  my  body,  and  Cotter  lowered  me  down  to  the  first 
shelf;  he  then  carefully  sent  down  the  precious  barometer  and  our  packs. 
Next,  he  made  a  fast  loop  in  the  lasso,  hooked  it  over  a  point  of  rock  and 
came  down  hand  over  hand,  whipping  the  rope  off  the  rock  to  which  it  had 
been  fastened,  thus  severing  our  communication  with  the  top  of  the  cliff. 
This  operation  was  repeated,  not  without  considerable  dangei",  from  the  im- 
possibility of  finding  a  firm  rock  around  which  to  secure  the  rope,  until  the 
bottom  was  at  last  safely  reached.  At  the  foot  of  the  debris  was  a  beautiful 
lake    lialf  a    mile    long,  once  the  bottom  of  the  bed  of  a  glacier. 


126  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

"  There  were  a  few  Pinna  contoi-ta  visible  down  the  course  of  the  Kern,  — 
here  only  a  small  brook,  —  and  quite  a  grove  of  P.  aristata ;  these,  with  a 
few  willows  and  an  Alpine  Kihes,  were  all  the  vegetation  we  could  see,  except- 
ing a  few  carices.  Camp  was  made  at  the  base  of  the  peak,  after  climbing 
np  a  difficult  ridge,  near  a  little  cluster  of  the  Pinus  contorta  ;  this  was  about 
11,000  feet  above  the  sea. 

"  The  next  day  the  summit  was  reached,  without  serious  difficulty,  after 
some  risk}'  climbing  of  smooth  dome-shaped  masses  of  granite,  where  the 
only  support  and  aid  in  climbing  was  an  occasional  crack.  The  barometer 
stood,  at  12  M.,  at  18,104,  the  temperature  of  the  air  being  44°.  On  setting 
the  level,  it  was  seen  at  once  that  there  were  two  peaks  equally  high  in 
sight,  and  two  still  more  elevated,  all  within  a  distance  of  seven  miles.  Of 
the  two  highest,  one  rose  close  by,  hardly  a  mile  away ;  it  is  an  inaccessible 
bunch  of  needles,  and  we  gave  it  the  name  of  Mount  Williamson.  The 
other,  which  we  called  Mount  Whitney,  appeared  equally  inaccessible  from 
any  point  on  the  north  or  west  side  ;  it  is  between  seven  and  eight  miles 
distant,  in  a  soi;th-southeast  direction,  and  I  should  think  fully  350  feet 
higher  than  our  peak.  (Farther  examination  showed  that  it  was  really  600 
or  700  feet  higher  than  Moimt  Tyndall.)  Within  oiu*  field  of  view  were  five 
mountains  over  14,000  feet,  and  about  fifty  peaks  over  13,000. 

"  The  five  highest  peaks  are  all  on  the  eastern  ridge.  Owen's  Valley, 
a  brown  sage  plain,  lies  10,000  feet  below  on  the  one  side,  and  Kern  Canon, 
once  the  rocky  bed  of  a  grand  old  glacier,  4,000  feet  down  on  the  other. 
About  fifteen  miles  noi-th  of  here.  King's  River  cuts  through  the  western 
ridge  and  turns  at  a  right  angle  towards  the  plain.  North  of  this  point, 
again,  the  two  great  ridges  unite  in  a  grand  pile  of  gi'anite  moxintains, 
whose  outlines  are  all  of  the  most  rugged  and  fantastic  character.  Twenty- 
five  miles  south,  the  high  group  ends,  there  (certainly  for  a  breadth  of  sixty 
miles)  forming  one  broad,  rolling,  forest-covered  plateau,  8,000  to  9,000  feet 
in  elevation. 

"  From  Mount  Brewer  to  Kaweah  Peak,  the  two  culminating  points  of  the 
western  ridge,  for  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles,  there  is  nothing  that  can  be 
called  a  separate  mountain ;  it  is,  rather,  a  great  mural  ridge,  capped  b}' 
small,  sharp  cones  and  low,  ragged  domes,  all  covered  with  little  minarets. 
At  one  place  the  ridge  fonns  a  level  table  ;  upon  this  lies  an  unbroken  cover 


THE    HIGH    SIERRA.  127 

of  snow.  To  the  eastward,  all  this  i-angc,  from  King's  River  gateway  to 
Kaweah  Peak,  presents  a  series  of  blank,  almost  perpendicular  pi-ecipices, 
broken  every  mile  or  so  by  a  bold  gi-anite  buttress.  Between  these  are  vast 
snow-fields,  and  also  numberless  deep  lakes,  of  which  the  most  elevated  are 
frozen." 

The  elevation  of  Mount  Tyndall,  as  calculated  from  Mr.  King's  observa- 
tions, compared  with  those  of  the  other  party,  and  with  the  station  barometer 
at  Visalia,  was  fixed  at  14,386  feet ;  this  is  only  fifty-four  feet  less  than  the 
altitude  of  Mount  Shasta. 

After  Mr.  King's  return  to  Camp  171,  at  the  eastern  base  of  Mount 
Brewer,  the  whole  party  went  back  to  Big  Meadows,  having  been  out  of 
provisions  for  several  days,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  strips  of  jerked  bear 
meat.  Hei'e,  also,  they  were  to  meet  the  escort  which  was  considered  indis- 
pensable for  safely  exploring  the  region  to  the  north.  Mr.  King,  however, 
not  being  satisfied  with  his  first  attempt  to  reach  the  c\;lminating  point 
of  the  Sierra,  made  another  start  from  Visalia  July  14th,  with  no  other 
company  than  an  escort  of  two  soldiers.  His  intention  was  to  follow  the 
Owen's  Lake  and  Visalia  ti'ail,  which  leads  up  the  Kaweah  River,  keeping 
the  south  fork  from  its  junction  with  the  main  river.  It  was  supposed  that 
it  might  be  possible  to  reach  the  summit  of  Mount  Whitney  from  this  side, 
previous  explorations  having  shown  that  this  could  not  be  accomplished  from 
the  northwest  or  west. 

The  first  camp  was  at  forty  miles  distance  from  the  edge  of  the  foot-hills, 
the  road  up  the  valley  being  intensely  hot,  dry,  and  dusty.  From  this  camp 
the  trail  led  over  a  rolling  plateau  of  high  altitude  (probably  between  8,000 
and  9,000  feet),  partly  covered  by  forests  of  Piims  contorta,  and  partly  by 
chains  of  meadows.  North  of  the  road  was  a  range  of  bald,  granite  hills, 
with  groves  of  pine  scattered  about  their  bases,  an  occasional  patch  of  snow 
appearing  on  the  higher  points.  This  chain  of  peaks  seems  to  be  the  contin- 
uation of  the  divide  between  the  south  and  main  Kaweah  Rivers,  and  it 
continues  eastward  to  the  summit  of  the  Sierra,  lieing  the  southern  termi- 
nation of  the  high  ranges  to  the  north ;  south  of  it  the  country'  falls  off" 
gradually  to  Walker's  Pass,  forming  numerous  broad,  flat-topped  ridges,  which 
give  the  region  the  general  aspect  of  a  table-land,  scored  down  from  north 
to    south    by    parallel    canons,  of  v/hich    the  Kern  occupies  the  deepest.     The 


128  THE    YOSEMITE    GUIUE-BOOK. 

main  and  north  forks  of  this  river  rise  far  to  the  noi-t.h  of  this  table- 
land, and  cut  tlieir  -way  through  it,  while  the  south  fork  heads  on  its 
southern  slope,  and  joins  the  main  rivei",  about  eight  miles  below  where  the 
trail  crosses.  This  jilatcau  is  entirely  of  granite,  and  the  vegetation  varies 
according  to  the  altitude.  West  of  the  canon  of  the  south  fork,  the  forests 
are  chiefly  of  the  Pinus  contorta ;  between  this  and  tlie  main  Kern  are 
fine  groves  of  P.  Jeffreyi,  and  occasional  oaks.  Where  the  trail  crosses  the 
main  Kern,  the  river  is  twenty-tive  or  thirty  yards  wide ;  the  water  is  clear 
and  cold,  and  abundantly  supplied  with  trout. 

From  this  point  the  old  trail  bent  southward,  crossing  the  mountains  some 
distance  below  Little  Owen's  Lake  ;  the  new  one  was  built  no  farther,  and 
from  here  it  was  necessary  to  continue  the  exploration,  without  any  other 
guides  than  the  eye  and  the  compass.  Striking  the  north  fork  of  the  Kern, 
at  that  point  only  a  brook  four  or  five  yards  wide,  Mr.  King  followed  it  up 
for  several  miles,  to  where  it  breaks  through  an  cast  and  west  range  of 
craggy  peaks,  which  comes  down  like  an  immense  spur,  at  right-angles  to  the 
general  course  of  the  Sierra,  and  is  continued  as  an  elevated  ridge  far  down 
the  north  side  of  the  Kaweah.  This  range  heads  in  a  very  high  and  bare 
granitic  peak,  called  Sheep  Rock,  from  the  great  number  of  mountain  sheep 
found  in  this  vicinity.  It  is  about  eight  miles  soiith  of  Mount  Whitney,  and 
is  the  termination  of  this  high  portion  of  the  Sierra. 

North  of  this  spur  or  lateral  range  through  which  the  north  and  main 
forks  of  the  Kern  both  make  their  way,  there  is  a  quadrilateral  area,  com- 
prised between  tlie  two  great  divisions  of  the  Sierra  on  the  east  and  west 
sides,  and  having  on  the  north  the  transverse  ridge  which  connects  Mount 
Tyndall  with  Moimt  Whitney.  In  this  the  main  Kern  heads  with  many 
branches,  and  to  the  east  of  it,  in  the  midst  of  every  difficulty,  Mr.  King 
worked  for  three  days  before  he  co\ild  reach  the  base  of  the  mountain,  whose 
summit  he  was  endeavoring  to  attain.  All  his  efforts,  however,  proved 
unsuccessful,  so  far  as  this  particular  object  was  concerned ;  but  he  was 
enabled  to  determine  the  main  features  of  the  topogi-aphy  of  a  considerable 
area,  which  otherwise  would  necessarily  have  been  left  an  entire  blank  upon 
our  map.  The  highest  point  reached  by  him  was,  according  to  the  most 
reliable  calculations,  14,740  feet  above  the  sea-level.  At  the  place  where 
this    observation    was    taken   he    was,    as   near   as   he  was    able    to    estimate, 


THE    HIGH    SIEEKA.  129 

between  300  and  400  feet  lower  than  the  culminating  point  of  the  mountain, 
which  must,  therefore,  somewhat  exceed  15,000  feet  in  height. 

The  summit  is  a  ridge  having  somewhat  the  outline  of  a  helmet,  the  per- 
pendicular face  being  turned  towards  the  east,  and  there  is  snow  on  its 
summit,  which  indicates  that  thei'o  must  be  a  flat  surface  there.  It  is  the 
culminating  point  of  an  immeiise  pile  of  granite,  which  is  cut  almost  to  the 
centre  by  numerous  steep  and  often  almost  vertical  canons,  ending  in  high- 
walled  amphitheatres.  Southward  of  the  main  peak  there  is  a  range  of  sharp 
needles,  four  of  which  are  over  14,000  feet  high.  The  general  aspect  of  the 
gi'oup  is  much  like  that  of  Mount  Tyndall.  Mount  Whitney  has  been 
approached  on  all  sides,  except  from  the  east,  and,  so  far,  found  to  be 
utterly  inaccessible. 

During  the  time  while  Mr.  King  was  exploring  about  the  sources  of  Kern 
River,  Professor  Brewer  and  party  continued  their  route  northward,  in  the 
hope  of  being  able  to  cross  over  the  higher  ridges  of  the  Sierra  to  the  head 
of  the  San  Joaquin.  They  left  the  Big  Meadows  and  made  their  way  into 
the  great  canon  of  the  south  fork  of  King's  River  by  a  terribly  steep  road, 
the  descent  being  between  4,500  and  5,000  feet.  The  canon  here  is  very 
much  like  the  Yosemite.  It  is  a  valley,  from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile  wide 
at  the  bottom,  about  eleven  miles  long,  and  closed  at  the  lower  end  by  a 
deep  and  inaccessible  ravine  like  that  below  the  Yosemite,  but  deeper  and 
more  precipitous.  It  expands  above  and  branches  at  its  head,  and  is  every- 
where surrounded  and  walled  in  by  grand  precipices,  broken  here  and  there 
by  side  canons,  resembling  the  Yosemite  in  its  main  features.  The  walls 
of  the  King's  River  canon,  however,  are  nowhere  vertical  to  so  great  a  height 
as  El  Capitan ;  but  rather  resemble  the  Sentinel  and  Cathedral  Rocks, 
or  the  Three  Brothers,  of  the  Yosemite  Valley.  They  rise  at  various  points 
to  heights  estimated  to  be  from  3,500  to  6,000  feet  above  their  base,  and 
there  is  but  little  debris  at  the  foot  of  the  walls.  The  height  of  the  lower 
end  of  the  valley  above  the  sea  was  found  to  be  approximately  4,737  feet; 
that  of  the  upper  end,  5,218  feet.  At  the  head  of  the  valley,  occupying 
a  position  analogous  to  that  of  the  Half  Dome  at  the  Yosemite,  is  the  most 
elevated  part  of  the  wall ;  it  is  nearly  vertical,  and  between  6,500  and  7,000 
feet  high. 

The    King's    River    canon   rivals   and  even  surpasses  the  Yosemite  Valley  in 


130  THE    YOSEMITE    GUIDE-BOOK. 

the  altitude  of  its  surrounding  clifts ;  but  it  lias  no  features  so  striking 
as  the  Half  Dome,  or  Tutucanula,  nor  has  it  the  stui)cndous  waterfalls 
■which  make  that  valley  quite  unrivalled  in  beauty  ;  its  streams  descend  by  a 
series  of  what  may  be  called  (in  California)  cascades,  of  from  150  to  200 
feet  high. 

The  bottom  of  the  valley  is  covered  with'  granitic  sand,  forming  a  soil 
which  supports  a  fine  growth  of  timber,  with  here  and  there  a  meadow. 
The  river  abounds  in  trout. 

The  party  came  into  the  valley  In'  an  old  Indian  foot-trail,  which  passes  out 
by  the  north  fork,  over  an  exceedingly  roiigh  country,  and  must  cross  the 
Sierra  at  an  elevation  of  at  least  13,000  feet.  This  trail  was  entirely  imj)rac- 
ticable  for  animals.  As  it  was  quite  impossible  to  get  north  at  the  head 
of  the  valley,  the  party  returned  a  distance  of  two  or  three  miles,  and  made 
their  way  out  on  the  north  side,  by  an  exceedingly  steep  and  difficult  route, 
camping  four  or  five  miles  from  the  edge  of  the  canon,  and  at  an  elevation 
of  more  than  4,000  feet  above  it,  or  9,308  feet  above  the  sea.  This  camp 
(No.  180)  was  situated  between  the  two  main  forks  of  King's  River,  and 
from  it  a  series  of  fruitless  attempts  Avere  made  to  reach  Mount  Goddard, 
about  twenty-four  miles  distant,  in  a  north-northwesterly  direction.  The 
ridge  between  the  forks  of  the  King's  rises  up  in  a  crest,  which,  three 
miles  southwest  of  Camp  180,  is  12,400  feet  above  the  sea.  From  the 
summit  of  this  ridge  there  is  a  precipitous  descent  to  the  north,  into 
the  canon  of  the  middle  fork,  which  is,  perhaps,  even  deeper  than  the  one 
just  described. 

The  crest  presents  a  very  seiTated  outline.  Two  peaks  lying  just  in  front 
of  it  are  especially  fine  ;  they  are  between  five  and  six  miles  east  of  Camp 
180 ;  both  are  probably  over  14,000  feet  high,  the  northern  being  a  little 
the  higher.  This  was  named  ]\Iount  King,  and  the  southern  one  Mount 
Gardner.  Mount  King  breaks  off  in  grand  precipices  on  the  northwest  side, 
like  the  Half  Dome  ;  these  are  several  thousand  feet  in  height,  and  almost 
vertical,  producing  the  effect  of  an  immense  obelisk.  The  annexed  woodcut 
(Fig.  19),  from  a  sketch  by  Mr.  Hoffmann,  gives  an  idea  of  the  form  of  this 
grand  peak ;  the  point  of  view  was  at  Camp  180,  about  six  miles  west 
of  the  simimit. 

The    re<;ion   around   the   crest  of  the  ridge  between  the  forks  of  the  King's 


THE    HIGH    SIERRA. 
Fis.  19. 


131 


\ 


:.2^^<^^^'^^:f^^^.M 


^^s-^ 


MOUNT   KING,   LOOKING   EAST,    FROM    CAMP  180. 


consists  of  granite  masses,  "with  spurs  projecting  out  from  them,  and  em- 
bracing basins  of  bare  rock,  each  haA'ing  a  small  lake  at  the  bottom.  The 
only  living  things  visible  in  these  valleys  are  the  grasses  in  the  small 
meadows  which  border  the  lakes.  Eveiywhere  else  are  to  be  seen  only 
smooth,  bare  rocks,  or  granitic  debris  in  steeply-sloping  j^iles  at  the  base 
of  the  precipices.  The  crests  of  the  ridges  are  thin  and  shattered,  —  so  thin 
that,  in  some  cases,  they  could  only  be  traversed  by  hitching  the  body  over 
while  sitting  astride  of  them. 

At  the  head  of  the  noi'th  fork,  along  the  main  crest  of  the  Sierra,  is  a 
range  of  peaks,  from  13,500  to  1 4,000  feet  high,  which  we  called  "the 
Palisades."  These  were  unlike  the  rest  of  the  crest  in  outline  and  color,  and 
were  doubtless  volcanic  ;  they  were  very  grand  and  fantastic  in  shape,  like 
the  rocks  seen  on  the  Silver  Mountain  trail  near  Ebbett's  Pass.  (See  Plate 
III.)  All  doubts  as  to  the  nature  of  these  peaks  Avei'e  removed  after  observ- 
ing on  the  east  side  of  the  crest,  in  Owen's  Valley,  vast  streams  of  lava  which 
had  flowed  down  the  slope  of  the  Sierra,  just  below  the  Palisades. 


132  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

Tltree  days  were  spent  by  the  i):irty  in  trying  to  find  some  place  where 
the  ridge  between  the  forks  of  the  King's  could  be  crossed  with  animals, 
so  that  -the  party  could  reach  the  middle  fork  and  thence  make  their  way 
to  Mount  Goddard.  This  was  ascertained  to  be  impossible,  and  it  was  found 
necessary  to  return  to  the  canon  of  the  south  fork.  From  here  it  was,  after 
some  hesitation,  decided  to  cross  the  mountains  into  Owen's  Valley,  and, 
after  following  it  up  for  forty  or  fifty  miles,  to  turn  west  and  cross  the 
Sieira  again,  so  as  thus  to  reach  the  head-waters  of  the  San  Joaquin,  over 
a  trail  which  was  made,  in  18G3,  by  a  party  of  soldiers  in  pursuit  of 
Indians. 

A  day  and  a  half  was  required  to  make  the  distance  of  twelve  miles  which 
lay  between  Camp  179,  in  the  south  fork  canon,  and  the  summit  of  the 
Sierra  ;  although  the  labor  of  crossing  was  much  facilitated  b}'  the  fact  that 
a  party  of  prospectors  had  crossed  here  not  long  before,  and  had  done  a 
good  deal  towards  making  a  passable  trail.  Camp  181,  midway  between 
the  valley  and  the  summit,  was  found  to  be  9,627  feet  high.  To  the  north 
of  this  camp,  and  nearly  east  of  Mount  King,  but  on  the  main  crest  of  the 
Sierra,  was  a  high,  naked  rock,  rising  fully  3,000  feet  above  the  trail  at  its 
base,  and  one  of  the  grandest  objects  seen  among  these  mountains.  The 
sketch  (Fig.  20)  will  serve  to  convey  a  faint  idea  of  its  majestic  form. 

The  distance  from  Camp  181  to  the  summit  was  found  to  be  about  eight 
miles.  The  crest,  on  the  pass,  is  double,  the  first  sunamit  being  11,031  feet 
high,  and  the  eastern  one  12,057  feet.  The  latter  is  a  very  sharp  ridge, 
with  both  sides  inclined  at  as  steep  an  angle  as  the  loose  materials  could 
maintain  without  sliding ;  the  actual  crest  is  a  sharp  comb  of  rock.  The 
peaks  on  each  side  are  verv  steep,  and  were  estimated  to  be  2,500  feet 
above  the  pass,  or  fully  14,500  feet  above  the  sea.  At  this  time  (July  27) 
there  was  no  snow  on  the  line  traversed  by  our  party,  although  large  patches 
were  seen  much  lower  down  in  shaded  localities. 

From  the  crest  of  the  Sierra  to  its  base  in  Owen's  Valley  is  about  eight 
miles  in  a  direct  line,  and  the  average  descent  is  just  1,000  feet  per  mile 
for  that  distance.  From  the  foot  of  the  mountains  a  gradual  and  imiform 
slope  extends  into  the  valley,  forming  an  inclined  plane,  strewn  with  boulders 
resting  upon  a  sandy  soil.  This  plain  is  dry  and  baiTen,  and  covered  with 
the    usual    desert    shrubs,    Artemisia,    Purshia,    Linosyris,    and    others.       The 


THE   HIGH   SIEKRA. 


133 


Fig.  20. 


\1       ■■  ^,7^~-"-:,V.^^~*V'<^?5!?^:^;i^s:s»S^^~^i^     '^ 


PEAK  NEAR   CAMP  181. 

highest  peaks  of  the  mam  crest  are  not  more  than  ten  or  eleven  miles  from 
the  valley,  and  fully  10,500  feet  above  it. 

The  mountains  were  entered  again  at  the  head  of  the  west  branch  of 
Owen's  River,  on  which  Camp  187  was  situated,  at  an  elevation  of  9,298  feet 
above  the  sea.  To  the  north  of  this  is  an  extremely  barren  table  of  lava, 
and  on  the  south  gi-anite.  The  valley  of  the  stream  is  half  a  mile  Avide,  and 
flanked  on  both  sides  by  beautifully  regular  moraines,  from  1,000  to  1,200 
feet  above  the  bottom. 

The  summit  of  the  Sierra  was  crossed  at  an  altitude  of  12,400  feet,  and 
although  the  crest  rose  up  in  front,  appearing  as  one  continuous  wall,  and 
seemingly  not  to  be  scaled,  yet  the  ascent  was  found  to  be  on  a  compar- 
atively easy  grade,  with  the  exception  of  one  rocky  place  near  the  summit. 
There  is  an  obscure  Indian  foot-trail  which  crosses  here,  and  a  body  of 
seventy  cavalry,  with  their  pack-train,  crossed  by  it  in  June,  1863.  At  that 
time  there  were  patches  of  snow  half  a  mile  long  iipon  the  road.  A  wagon- 
road    could   be    made    over    this    pass,  without    mnch  difficulty;  but  its  great 


134  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

height,  and  the  immense  body  of  snow  which  must  lie  here  during  nearly 
or  quite  all  the  year,  forbid  the  idea  of  any  such  undertaking.  The  crest 
here  is  very  rugged,  rising  in  precipitous  ridges  about  1,000  feet  above  the 
pass  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  and  perhaps  2,000  feet  at  a  little  distance 
north  and  south. 

The  views  fron\  the  high  points  above  the  trail  at  the  summit  were  of  the 
grandest  description.  Eight  miles  to  the  north  was  a  group  of  dark,  crimson- 
colored  peaks,  and  twenty-five  miles  farther  in  that  direction  were  the 
snow-clad  ranges  near  ^lono  Lake.  In  a  southerly  direction  rose  a  vast  mass 
of  gi'anite  peaks  and  ridges,  with  the  same  sharp  scattered  crests,  vertical 
cliffs  overhanging  snow-fields  and  amphitheatres  with  frozen  lakes,  which  were 
the  main  features  of  the  views  in  the  region  about  the  head  of  King's 
Elver. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  pass  there  was  one  mile  of  rocky  and  steej) 
descent ;  but  otherwise  no  difiiculty  was  experienced.  Great  slopes  were 
traversed,  which  were  worn  and  polished  by  glaciers,  and,  as  everywhere  else 
in  the  Sien-a,  these  exhibitions  of  ancient  glacial  phenomena  were  exhibited 
on  a  much  gi-ander  scale  on  the  west  slope  of  the  Sierra  than  they  had 
been  observed  to  be  on  the  eastern  side. 

Camp  188,  a  little  below  the  summit,  was  at  an  elevation  of  9,940  feet, 
and  from  this  high  peaks  on  both  sides  were  ascended  and  examined.  Mr. 
Gardner  visited  the  crimson-colored  group  noticed  above,  and  which  was 
about  five  miles  north  of  the  camp.  The  rocks  were  found  to  be  of  meta- 
morphic  slate,  Avhich  continues  about  eight  miles  to  the  north,  and  is 
there  lost  under  the  granite.  Enclosed  in  the  slate,  and  having  the  same  dip 
and  strike,  is  a  vein  of  white  quartz  rock  sixty  to  seventy  feet  wide.  The 
"Red  Slate  Peaks,"  as  they  were  called,  were  found  to  be  about  13,400  feet 
in  elevation.  This  group  forms  the  northern  termination  of  the  gi-eat 
elevated  range  of  the  Sierra,  which  stretches  to  the  south,  for  a  distance 
of  over  ninety  miles,  without  any  depression  below  12,000  feet,  in  aU  proba- 
bility the  highest  continuous  mass  of  mountains  in  North  America.  To  the 
north,  between  the  Red  Slate  Peaks  and  the  Mono  Group,  a  considerable 
depression  exists,  over  which  is  a  pass,  of  the  height  of  which  we  have  no 
positive  knowledge. 

There  is  a  gi-eat  depression  where  the  three  largest  branches  of  the  King's 


THE   HIGH   SIERKA.  135 

come   together.     In    this    Camp  189   was    made,    at    a   distance    of  twenty-two 

miles    from    the  summit  of  the  Sierra,  and  6,930  feet  above  the  sea.      Grassy 

meadows  occur  here,  and  rising  above    them    are    many  rocky  knolls    rounded 

by    former    glaciers.       This    locality  has    long   been    a    favorite    resort    of    the 

Indians,  on  account  of  its  remoteness  from  the  settled  part  of  California,  and 

its    consequent    security.      The    abundance    of    game    and    the    gi-eat    number 

of   pine  trees  in  this  valley  also    added    to    its    charms.     Thousands    of  trees 

were    seen  which   had    trenches    dug   around  them,  to  catch  the  worms  which 

* 
live    in    the    bark,  as    is    said ;    these,  as  well   as    the    nuts    of  the    pine,  are 

staple    ai-ticles    of   food    among    the    "  Diggers."      All  the    movements    of    our 

party  were  watched    by  the  Indians  from  a  distance  and  signalled  by  smokes, 

but    no    attack  was    made,    as    there    might    have    been,  had    they    not    been 

provided  with  an  escort. 

From  Camp  189  the  country  to  the  south  was  explored,  in  the  direction 
of  Mount  Goddard,  an  important  topographical  station  for  connecting  with 
the  work  on  the  other  side  of  the  King's.  In  going  from  Camp  189  to  190 
the  middle  and  south  forks  of  the  San  Joaquin  were  crossed,  and  a  due 
south  course  was  kept  towards  a  high  point  on  the  ridge,  eight  miles  distant. 
The  valley  widens  out  here,  and  includes  a  broad  belt  of  rolling  country, 
with  numerous  low  hills  of  granite,  whose  tops  and  sides  are  all  smoothly 
rounded  by  glacial  action.  The  predominant  trees  here  are  Pimis  Jeffreyi 
and  P.  contorta.  As  we  rise  out  of  the  valley,  immense  moraines  are  seen 
at  the  height  of  from  1,500  to  2,000  feet  above  the  valley.  A  glacier,  at 
least  1,500  feet  deep,  eight  or  nine  miles  wide,  and  probably  thirty  miles 
long,  perhaps  much  more,  once  flowed  down  this  valley,  and  has  left  its 
traces  evei-ywhere  along  its  sides. 

A  peak  a  little  south  of  Camp  190,  and  10,711  feet  above  the  sea,  was 
climbed;  from  this  a  grand  view  of  the  Sierra  between  the  Obelisk  Range 
and  the  Mount  Brewer  Group  was  obtained.  The  snow  lay  on  this  ridge 
several  hundred  feet  below  the  summit ;  but  the  Pinus  albicaulis  gi'ows  to 
the  very  top.  This  forms  one  of  a  series  of  high  points  which  extend  in  a 
line  nearly  parallel  with  the  crest  of  the  Sien-a,  and  from  sixteen  to  twenty 
miles  distant  from  it,  tlius  preserving  all  through  this  region  the  same 
double-crested  character  which  the  range  has  farther  south  around  the  head 
of  King's  River. 


1^6  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

The  next  move  took  the  party  about  twelve  miles  iu  a  southeasterly 
direction,  and  to  a  point  only  eighteen  miles  from  Mount  Goddard.  This 
camp  (No.  191)  was  at  an  elevation  of  10,2G8  feet.  The  route  followed  lay 
along  and  over  a  ridge,  with  a  very  sharp  crest  breaking  off  in  gi-and  preci- 
pices on  each  side.  It  has  also  a  jjarapet  along  the  south  edge  similar 
to  that  described  as  forming  the  rim  o:  the  Kettle ;  this  is  in  places  thirty 
feet  high,  and  rises  like  a  grand  wall,  with  a  narrow  shelf  on  the  north ; 
from  this  there  is  a  very  steep  slope  down  for  a  thousand  feet  or  more. 

From  Camp  191  an  unsuccessful  attempt  was  made  to  reach  Mount  God- 
dard, withovit  the  animals,  as  they  could  be  taken  no  farther.  The  only 
possible  way  led  along  the  divide  between  King's  and  San  Joaquin  Rivers, 
over  a  series  of  ridges,  high  and  sharp,  with  valleys  between,  a  thousand 
feet  deep  or  more,  so  that  progress  was  excessively  slow  and  tiresome. 
Cotter  and  one  of  the  soldiers  succeeded,  after  a  day's  climbing,  in  getting 
"within  300  feet  of  the  summit,  and  huug  up  the  barometer  just  before 
it  was  too  dark  to  see  to  read  it.  They  Avere  then  at  an  elevation  of  13,G48 
feet,  making  the  height  of  the  mountain  about  14,000  feet.  The  return 
to  an  impromptu  camp,  at  an  elevation  of  about  12,000  feet  and  without 
provisions  or  fire,  made  by  the  remainder  of  the  party  at  the  base  of  the 
mountain,  required  the  whole  night,  and  was  hazardous   in  the  extreme. 

From  Camp  191  the  party  returned  to  189,  and  from  there  worked  to  the 
northwest  in  the  cafion  of  the  north  fork  of  the  San  Joaquin.  For  three 
fourths  of  the  way  the  route  followed  led  down  the  depression  at  the 
jimction  of  the  three  forks  before  noticed.  This  depression  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a  valley  only  when  seen  from  the  heights  around  it.  There  are 
numerous  flats  lying  between  rounded  hills  of  bare  granite ;  these  flats  are 
sometimes  covered  by  forests,  but  many  of  them  form  beautiful  open  meadows 
in  which  many  thousand  cattle  might  be  pastured. 

The  noi-th  fork  of  the  San  Joaquin  comes  down  through  a  very  deep 
canon,  and  the  wide,  open,  valley-like  depression  terminates  here.  This 
canon  is  from  3,000  to  4,000  feet  deep,  and  proved  to  be  a  serious  obstacle 
to  the  advance  of  the  party.  Near  the  junction  of  the  north  and  main  forks 
it  is  a  mere  notch,  and  its  walls  exhibit  some  gi'andly  picturesque  features. 
Two  or  three  miles  southeast  of  this  is  a  most  remarkable  dome,  more 
perfect  in  its  form  than  any  before  seen  in  the  State.      It  rises  to  the  height 


THE    HIGH    SIERRA,  137 

of  1,800  feet  above  the  river,  and  presents  exactly  the  appearance  of  the 
upper  part  of  a  sphere ;  or,  as  Professor  Brewer  says,  "  of  the  top  of  a 
gigantic  balloon  struggling  to  get  np  through  the  rock." 

Camj)  194,  in  the  canon,  was  at  an  altitude  of  about  4,750  feet,  while  the 
ranges  to  the  east  and  northeast  rose  from  4,000  to  5,000  feet  above  this, 
and  those  on  the  west  about  3,000  feet.  The  sides  of  the  canon  are  very 
abrupt,  and  present  immense  surfaces  of  naked  granite,  resembling  the  valley 
of  the  Yosemite.  There  are  everywhere  in  this  valley  the  traces  of  former 
glaciers,  on  an  immense  scale,  and  as  the  party  rose  above  the  canon  on  the 
north,  in  leaving  the  river,  the  moraine  on  the  opposite  side  was  seen  very 
distinctly,  and  appeared  to  be  at  an  elevation  of  not  less  than  3,000  feet 
above  the  bottom  of  the  valley.  It  was  evident  that  the  glaciers  which  came 
down  the  various  branches  of  the  San  Joaquin  all  united  here  to  form  one 
immense  "sea  of  ice,"  which  filled  the  whole  of  the  wide  depression  sj)oken 
of  above,  and  left  its  moraines  at  this  high  elevation  above  the  present  river- 
bed. 

The  party  passed  out  of  the  caiion  to  the  northwest,  first  ascending  a  steep 
ridge,  over  3,000  feet  high,  and  then  entering  a  wide  elevated  valley,  where 
Camp  195  was  made,  at  an  elevation  of  about  7,250  feet.  On  the  high  ridge 
traversed  in  getting  to  this  camp  were  many  boulders  of  lava,  which  must 
have  been  brought  from  some  more  northerly  point  and  dropped  in  their 
present  position  by  ancient  glaciers.  The  source  of  these  boulders  seems 
to  have  been  near  Mount  Clark,  in  the  Obelisk  Range.  The  view  from  the 
summit  of  the  ridge  was  a  grand  one,  commanding  the  whole  of  the  Mount 
Lyell  and  Obelisk  Groups,  as  well  as  the  main  range  of  the  Sierra  to  the 
east,  where  are  many  dark-colored  peaks,  apparently  volcanic.  A  very  high 
and  massive  peak  was  seen  to  the  east  of  Mount  Lyell,  which  has  since  been 
named  by  us  Mount  Ritter,  and  is  believed  to  be  the  dominating  point 
of  the  group  (see  page  109). 

In  the  depression  to  the-  west  of  the  ridge  noticed  above  are  heaw  forests 
and  fine  meadows  scattered  over  the  country,  into  which  manj'^  cattle  liad 
been  driven  from  Fresno  County,  to  escape  the  extreme  drought  of  the  season. 
The  meadows  occupy  the  flats  or  level  intervals  between  the  domes  of 
granite ;  grassy  "  flats,"  as  they  are  called,  occur  everywhere  along  the  Sierra 
at  about  this  altitude,  on  the  high  lands  between  the  large  streams. 
18 


138  THE  YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

Camp  196,  a  few  miles  north  of  195,  vas  at  the  base  of  a  prominent  peak, 
which  was  supposed  to  belong  to  the  Obelisk  Group,  for  which  the  party 
was  aiming.  On  ascending  it,  however,  it  was  found  to  be  about  ten  miles 
due  south  of  the  Obelisk.  It  was  foimd  to  be  10,950  feet  high  and  com- 
manded a  fine  view.  This  is  called  Black  Mountain  on  the  map  accompany- 
ing the  present  volume.  Eighteen  miles  northeast  of  this  is  the  lowest  gap 
or  pass  over  the  Sierra  which  occurs  between  Carson's  and  Walker's  Passes, 
a  distance  of  about  250  miles.  An  approximation  to  its  height  was  obtained 
by  an  observation  of  the  barometer  on  the  peak  ascended  near  Camp  195, 
at  a  point  which  was  ascertained  by  levelling  to  be  at  about  the  same 
altitude  as  the  pass  itself.  The  result  of  the  calculation  gave  9,200  feet 
as  the  height  of  the  summit  of  the  pass,  which  is  considerably  lower  than 
the  Mono  Pass.  Cattle  have  been  driven  across  to  Owen's  Valley  over  this 
route,  the  north  fork  of  the  San  Joaquin  being  crossed  at  a  point  nnich 
farther  up  than  where  our  pai'ty  traversed  it,  and  where  the  canon  is  not 
nearly  so  deep. 

From  Camp  19C  the  Jiarty  made  their  way,  as  rapidly  as  the  worn-out 
condition  of  the  men  and  horses  permitted,  to  Clark's  ranch,  on  the  trail 
from  ^Iarij)osa  to  the  Yosemite.  They  first  travelled  in  a  southwesterly 
du'ection,  over  a  region  of  dome-shaped  gi-anite  hills,  for  a  distance  of  twenty- 
three  miles,  and  camped  at  the  head  of  the  Chiquito  San  Joaquin,  and  at 
the  altitude  of  7,463  feet.  Many  meadows  were  passed,  into  which  large 
numbers  of  cattle  had  been  di'iven.  One  of  these  is  known  as  Neal's  ranch, 
or  Jackass  Meadows.  From  this  point  there  were  trails  which  could  be 
followed,  and  this  was  the  first  sign  of  a  return  to  the  regions  of  civili- 
zation. 


THE   BIG  TREES.  139 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE   BIG   TREES. 

The  fact  that,  in  addition  to  the  Yosemite  Valley,  already  described  in  the 
preceding  pages,  Congress  has  given  to  the  State  of  California,  to  hold  as  a 
public  park,  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  groves  of  the  so-called  (/)«r  excel- 
lence) Big  Trees,  makes  it  incumbent  on  us  to  devote  one  chapter  of  the 
present  volume  to  a  statement  of  some  of  the  most  interesting  facts  concern- 
ing these  truly  remarkable  productions  of  the  vegetable  kingdom.  This  we 
do  the  more  readily,  as  it  is  astonishing  how  little  that  is  really  reliable 
is  to  be  found  in  all  that  has  been  published  about  the  Big  Trees.  No 
correct  statement  of  their  distribution  or  dimensions  has  appeared  in  print; 
and,  if  their  age  has  been  correctly  stated  in  one  or  two  scientific  journals, 
no  such  information  ever  finds  its  way  into  the  popular  descriptions  of  this 
tree,  which  are  repeated  over  and  over  again  in  contributions  to  newspapers, 
and  in  books  of  travel.  For  all  the  statements  here  made  the  Geological 
Survey  is  responsible,  except  when  it  is  otherwise  expressly  stated.  For  the 
history  of  the  botanical  name  of  this  species  I  am  specially  indebted  to 
Professor  Brewer,  Botanist  of  the  Survey,  who  has  investigated  this  somewhat 
complicated  subject  with  care  and  with  access  to  all  the  authorities. 

According  to  Mr.  Hutchings's  statement,  the  Calaveras  Grove  of  Big  Trees 
was  the  first  one  discovered  by  white  men,  and  the  date  was  the  spring 
of  1852.  The  person  who  first  stumbled  on  these  vegetable  monsters  was 
Mr.  A.  T.  Dowd,  a  hunter  employed  by  the  Union  Water  Company  to 
supply  the  men  in  their  employ  with  fresh  meat,  while  digging  a  canal 
to  bring  water  down  to  Murphy's.  According  to  the  accounts,  the  discoverer 
found  that  his  story  gained  so  little  credence  among  the  workmen  that 
he  was  obliged  to  resort  to  a  ruse  to  get  them  to  the  spot  where  the  trees 
were. 

The  wonderful    tale    of  the    Big  Trees   soon    found   its  way  into  the  papers, 


140  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

and  appears  to  have  been  first  published  in  the  Sonora  Herald,  the  nearest 
periodical  to  the  locality.  The  account  was  republished,  among  other  papers, 
hi  the  Echo  dii  Pacijic  of  San  Francisco,  then  copied  into  the  London 
Athcmeum  of  July  23d,  1853  (p.  892),  which  is  beheved  to  be  the  first 
notice  p\iblished  in  Europe,  and  from  there  again  into  the  Gardener's  Chronicle 
of  London,  where  it  appeared  July  30th,  1853  (p.  488).  In  the  last-named 
journal,  for  December  24th,  page  819,  Dr.  Lindley  published  the  first  scien- 
tific description  of  the  Big  Tree.  Overlooking  its  close  affinity  with  the 
already  described  redwood,  he  regarded  it  as  the  type  of  a  new  genus,  which 
he  called  Wellingtonia,  adding  the  specific  name  of  gigantea.  His  specimens 
were  received  from  Mr.  William  Lobb,  through  Messrs.  Veitch  &  Sons,  well- 
known  nurserymen.  The  tree  had  been  previously  brought  to  the  notice 
of  scientific  men  in  San  Francisco,  and  specimens  had  been  sent  to  Dr. 
Torrey  in  New  York  considerably  earlier  than  to  Dr.  Lindley,  but  the  speci- 
mens were  lost  in  transmission ;  and,  no  description  having  been  published  in 
San  Francisco,  although  Drs.  Kellogg  and  Behr  had  brought  it  to  the  notice 
of  the  California  Academ}^  early  that  year  as  a  new  species,  the  honor  and 
oppoi'tunity  of  naming  it  was  lost  to  American  botanists.  The  closely  allied 
species  of  the  same  geniis,  the  Sequoia  sem]oervire7is,  the  redwood,  had  been 
named  and  described  by  Endlicher  in  1847,  and  was  well  known  to  botanists 
all  over  the  world  in  1852. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  "  Societe  Botanique  de  France,"  held  Jime  28th, 
1854,  the  eminent  botanist  Decaisne  presented  specimens  of  the  two  species, 
the  Big  Tree  and  the  redwood,  with  those  of  other  Californian  coniferce, 
recently  received  from  the  Consular  Agent  of  France  at  San  Francisco.  At 
this  meeting  M.  Decaisne  gave  his  reasons,  at  some  length,  for  considering 
the  redwood  and  the  more  recently  discovered  "  Big  Tree "  to  belong  to  the 
same  genus.  Sequoia,  and,  in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  botanical  nomen- 
clature, called  the  new  species  Sequoia  gigantea.  The  report  of  these  pro- 
ceedings is  to  be  found  in  the  Bulletin  de  la  Societe  Botanique  cle  France, 
Vol.  I.  p.   70,  which  was  issued  in  July  (probably)  of  1854. 

In  the  mean  time  specimens  had  been  received  by  Dr.  Torre}^  at  New 
York,  and  in  September  of  the  same  year  (1854)  Professor  Gray,  of  Cam- 
bridge, published,  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  appended  to  a  notice 
of  the  age  of  the  redwood,  a  statement,  on    his    own    authority,  that   a   com- 


THE    BIG    TREES.  141 

parison  of  the  cones  of  that  tree  and  those  of  the  so-called  Wellingtonia 
of  Lindley  did  not  bring  to  view  any  differences  adequate  to  the  establish- 
ment of  a  new  genus.  To  this  Professor  Gray  adds  :  "  The  so-called  Welling- 
tonia  will  hereafter  bear  the  name  imposed  by  Dr.  Torrcy,  namely,  that  of 
Sequoia  gigantea.''''  It  does  not  appear,  however,  on  examination,  that  Dr. 
Toi'rey  had  himself  published  any  description  of  the  Big  Tree,  or  of  the  ftxct 
that  he  considei'ed  it  generically  identical  with  the  redwood,  and  priority  seems 
to  have  been  secured  by  Decaisne,  so  that  the  name  must  now  stand  as 
Sequoia  gigantea,  Decaisne.  It  is  to  the  happy  accident  of  the  generic  agree- 
ment of  the  Big  Tree  -with  the  redwood  that  we  owe  it  that  we  are  not 
now  obliged  to  call  the  largest  and  most  interesting  tree  of  America  after  an 
English  military  hero ;  had  it  been  an  English  botanist  of  the  highest  emi- 
nence, the  dose  would  not  have  been  so  unpalatable. 

No  other  plant  ever  attracted  so  much  attention  or  attained  such  a 
celebrity  within  so  short  a  period.  The  references  to  it  in  scientific  works 
and  journals  already  number  between  one  and  two  hundred,  and  it  has  been 
the  theme  of  innmnerable  articles  in  popular  periodicals  and  books  of  travel, 
in  various  languages ;  probably  there  is  hardly  a  newspaper  in  Christendom 
that  has  not  published  some  item  on  the  subject. 

Seeds  were  first  sent  to  Europe  and  the  Eastern  States  in  1853,  and  since 
that  time  immense  numbers  have  found  their  way  to  market.  They  ger- 
minate readily,  and  it  is  probable  that  hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  trees 
(millions  it  is  said)  are  growing  in  different  parts  of  the  world  from  seeds 
planted.  They  flourish  with  peculiar  luxuriance  in  Great  Britain,  and  grow 
with  extraordinary  rapidity.  Numerous  examples  are  cited  where  they  have 
grown  over  two  feet  per  year,  and  have  produced  cones  when  four  or  five 
years  old.     Some  marked   "gardener's  varieties"  are  already  in  the  market. 

The  genus  was  named  in  honor  of  Sequoia*  or  Sequoyah,  a  Cherokee 
Indian  of  mixed  blood,  better  known  by  his  English  name  of  George  Guess, 
who  is  supposed  to  have  been  born  about  1770,  and  who  lived  in  Will's 
Valley,  in  the  extreme  northeastern  corner  of  Alabama,  among  the  Cherokees. 

*  Endlichcr,  who  named  the  germs,  was  not  only  a  learned  botanist,  bnt  was  eminent  in  ethno- 
logical research,  and  Avas  undoubtedly  well  aquainted  with  Sequoia's  career.  The  name  is  also,  and 
more  generally,  spelt  "  Sequoyah,"  which  is  the  English  way  of  writing  it,  while  the  other  is  what  it 
would  naturally  and  properly  be  in  Latin. 


142  THE   YOSEMITE    GUIDE-BOOK. 

He  became  known  to  the  world  by  his  invention  of  an  alphabet  and  written 
language  for  his  tribe.  This  ali)habet,  which  was  constructed  with  wonderful 
ingenuity,  consisted  of  eighty-six  characters,  each  representing  a  syllable ;  and 
it  had  already  come  into  use,  to  a  considerable  extent,  before  the  whites  had 
heard  anything  of  it.  After  a  time  the  missionaries  took  up  Sequoyah's  idea, 
and  liad  types  cast  and  a  printing-press  supplied  to  the  Cherokee  nation, 
and  a  newspaper  was  started  in  1828,  partly  in  this  character.  Driven  with 
the  rest  of  his  tribe  beyond  the  Mississippi,  he  died  in  New  Mexico,  in  184.3. 
His  remarkable  alphabet  is  still  in  xise,  although  destined  to  pass  away  wnth 
his  nation,  but  not  into  oblivion,  for  his  name  attached  to  one  of  the 
grandest  and  most  impressive  productions  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  will 
forever  keep  his  memory  green.* 

Having  given  a  few  items  in  the  history  of  the  discovery  of  the  Big  Trees, 
we  wiU  pass  on  to  detail  some  of  the  facts  in  regard  to  their  geogi*aphical 
distribution,  age,  size,  and  appearance,  with  w^iich  it  will  be  desirable  for 
travellers  to  be  acquainted. 

The  Big  Tree  is  extremely  limited  in  its  range ;  even  moi-e  so  than  its 
twin  brother,  the  redwood.  The  latter  is  strictly  a  Coast  Range  or  sea-board 
tree  ;  the  other  inland,  or  exclusively  limited  to  the  Sierra.  Both  trees  are, 
also,  peculiarly  Californian.  A  very  few  of  the  redwood  may  be  found  just 
across  the  border  in  Oregon,  but  the  Big  Tree  has  never  been  found  outside 
of  California,  and  probably  never  will  be.f 

The  redwood  forms  an  interrupted  belt  along  the  Coast  Ranges,  from 
about  latitude  36°  to  42°,  or  from  a  little  below  the  head  of  the  Nacimiento 
River,  north  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  State.  Between  the  southern 
termination  of  the  belt  and  Carmelo,  the  redwoods  occur  but  sparingly, 
nowhere  forming  extensive  groves  ;  and  from  Carmelo  to  the  Pajaro  River 
they  are  interrupted  altogether.  Near  the  last-named  place  this  tree  sets  in 
again,  and  forms  a  tolerably  continuous  belt  north  to  a  jDoint  nearly  opposite 

*  For  the  above  particulars  of  Sequoyah's  history,  and  several  other  items  M-liicli  we  have  not  here 
space  to  publish,  we  are  indebted  to  Professor  Brewer. 

t  There  are  several ybssiV  species  of  the  genus  Sequoia.  The  Miocene  Tertiary  of  Greenland,  in  70° 
north  latitude,  furnishes  one,  —  the  Sequoia  Lnngsdorffii — which,  accoi-ding  to  the  eminent  botanist 
Heer,  can  with  difficulty  be  distinguished  from  the  redwood  of  California;  it  may,  perhaps,  be  iden- 
tical with  it.  The  statement  above,  that  the  Sequoia  is  a  peculiarly  Californian  genus,  must  be  under- 
stood as  referring  to  the  vegetation  of  the  present  geological  epoch,  and  not  to  that  of  former  ages. 


THE   BIG   TEEES.  143 

Half-Moon  Bay,  keeping  well  upon  the  western  side  of  the  ridges,  but 
descending  on  the  eastern  side  into  the  cafions.  There  were  formerly  fine 
redwoods  opposite  San  Francisco,  along  the  crest  of  the  Contra  Costa  Hills ; 
but  they  are  now  all  cut  down.  The  small  patches  of  them  in  Marin 
County  are  fast  going  the  same  way.  Beyond  Russian  River,  however,  the 
belt  of  redwoods  widens  out  rapidly,  forming  almost  a  continuous  foi-est,  some 
ten  or  fifteen  miles  in  width,  up  to  the  northern  end  of  Mendocino  County, 
or  for  more  than  a  hundred  miles.  From  here  north,  through  Humboldt, 
Klamath,  and  Del  Norte  Counties,  this  tree  occurs  in  more  or  less  discon- 
nected patches,  some  of  which,  however,  cover  an  extensive  area.  In  this 
direction  the  redwood  gradually  approaches  the  coast,  and  at  Humboldt  and 
Trinity  Bays,  and  near  Crescent  City,  is  directly  upon  the  ocean.  Mr.  Bo- 
lander  thinks  that  his  observations  show  clearly  that  the  redwood  is  exclu- 
sively confined  to  a  peculiar  kind  of  rock,  —  the  metamorphic  sandstone,  —  and 
it  is  certain,  also,  that  it  will  only  floxirish  when  it  is  frequently  enveloped  in 
the  ocean  fogs. 

The  redwood  is  the  glory  of  the  Coast  Ranges ;  its  gigantic  size  and  its 
beauty  of  form  and  foliage  entitle  it  to  a  place  hardly  second  to  that  of  the 
Big  Tree  itself,  as  may  be  gathered  from  the  following  facts  derived  chiefly 
from  the  notes  of  Messrs.   Brewer  and  Bolander. 

Near  Santa  Cruz  is  a  redwood  grove  of  great  beauty ;  the  largest  tree 
is  50  feet  in  circumference  at  the  base  and  275  feet  high.  Near  Crescent 
City  Professor  Brewer  measu.red  one  58  feet  in  circumference  at  four  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  it  scarcely  swelled  at  all  at  its  base.  Several 
persons  stated,  however,  that  there  were  larger  ones  south  of  this,  and  that, 
near  the  Klamath  River,  there  were  some  as  much  as  30  feet  in  diameter. 
Mr.  Ashburner  heard  of  a  hollow  redwood  stump,  seven  miles  back  from 
Eureka,  38  feet  in  diameter,  in  which  33  pack-mules  were  coiTalled  at  one 
time.  Mr.  Bolander  reported  a  redwood  25  feet  in  diameter,  near  Little 
River,   Mendocino  County. 

During  the  stormy  winter  of  1861—62  immense  numbers  of  redwood  logs 
were  carried  out  to  sea,  along  the  coast  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State. 
They  were  so  abundant  as  to  be  dangerous  to  ships  at  a  distance  of  over 
150  miles  from  land.  Dxiring  a  heavy  southwest  gale  great  numbers  of  these 
were  cast  on  shore  near  Crescent  City,  and  thrown  together  in  gigantic   piles. 


144  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

Professor  Brewer  measured  a  dozen  of  these  broken,  battered  logs,  and  found 
them  to  vary  from  120  to  210  feet  in  length  ;  one  of  200  feet  was  ten  feet 
in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  another  of  210  feet  was  three  feet  in  diameter 
at  the  little  end.  Accurate  measurements  of  the  height  of  the  trees  standing 
in  the  forests  of  this  region  are  wanting;  but  there  are  supposed  to  be  many 
redwoods  from  250  to  300  feet  in  elevation. 

Thus  we  see,  that  in  size  the  redwood  falls  but  very  little  below  the  Big 
Tree,  and  it  is  not  impossible  that  some  of  the  former  may  yet  be  foiind  as 
large  as  any  of  the  latter.  In  general  effect  the  forests  of  i-edwood,  in  the 
opinion  of  Professor  Brewer,  surpass  even  the  gi-oves  of  Big  Trees.  The 
great  reason  for  this  is,  that  the  redwood  forms  frequently  almost  the  entire 
forest,  while  the  Big  Tree  nowhere  occurs  except  scattered  among  other  trees, 
and  never  in  clusters  or  gi-oups  isolated  from  other  species.  Let  one 
imagine  an  entire  forest,  extending  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  of  trees  of 
from  eight  to  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  and  from  200  to  300  feet  high, 
thickly  gi-ouped,  their  trunks  marvellously  straight,  not  branching  xmtil  they 
reach  from  100  to  150  feet  above  the  gi-ound,  and  then  forming  a  dense 
canopy,  which  shuts  out  the  view  of  the  sky,  the  contrast  of  the  bright 
cinnamon-colored  trunks  with  the  sombre  deep  yet  brilliant  green  of  the 
foliage,  the  utter  silence  of  these  forests,  where  often  no  sound  can  be  heard 
except  the  low  thunder  of  the  breaking  surf  of  the  distant  ocean, — let  one 
picture  to  himself  a  scene  like  this,  and  he  may  perhaps  receive  a  faint 
impression  of  the  majestic  grandeur  of  the  redwood  forests  of  California. 

The  Big  Tree  occurs  exclusively  in  "groves,"  or  scattered  over  limited 
areas,  never  forming  groups  by  themselves,  but  always  disseminated  among 
a  much  larger  number  of  trees  of  other  kinds.  These  patches  on  which 
the  Big  Trees  stand  do  not  equal  in  area  a  hundredth  part  of  that  which 
the  redwoods  cover  exclusively.  We  are  quite  unable  to  state  the  number 
of  square  miles  or  acres  on  which  the  Big  Trees  grow,  except  for  two  of 
the  gi-oves,  the  Calaveras  and  ■^lariposa,  both  of  which  have  been  carefully 
surveyed  by  our  parties.  It  may  be  roughly  stated,  however,  that  this  area 
does  not,  so  far  as  yet  known,  exceed  fifty  square  miles,  and  that  most  of 
this  is  in  one  patch,  between  King's  and  Kaweah  Rivers,  as  will  be  noticed 
farther  on. 

The    groves   of   the   Big   Trees     are   limited   in   latitude   between    36°    and 


THE   BIG  TREES.  145 

38°  15'  nearly,  at  least  so  far  as  we  now  know.  The  Calaveras  Grove  is 
the  most  northerly,  and  one  on  the  south  fork  of  the  Tule  is  the  farthest 
south  of  any  yet  known  to  us.  They  are  also  quite  limited  in  vertical 
range,  since  they  nowhere  descend  much  below  5,000  or  rise  above  7,000 
feet.  They  follow  the  other  trees  of  California,  in  this  respect,  that  they 
occur  lower  down  on  the  Sierra  as  we  go  northwards ;  the  most  northerly 
grove,  that  of  Calaveras,  is  the  lowest  in  elevation  above  the  sea-level. 

We  will  first  describe,  or  notice,  so  far  as  our  space  allows,  the  different 
groves  which  have  been  discovered,  giving  more  details  of  that  one  which  has 
been  given  by  Congi-ess  to  the  State  of  California  "  for  j)ublic  use  and 
recreation,"  and  we  will  then  state  some  general  facts  connected  with  this 
species,  which  will  be  better  understood  after  reading  what  has  preceded. 

There  are  eight  distinct  patches  or  groves  of  the  Big  Trees,  —  or  nine,  if 
we  should  consider  the  Mariposa  trees  as  belonging  to  two  different  groups, 
which  is  hardly  necessary,  inasmuch  as  there  is  only  a  ridge  half  a  mile  in 
width  separating  the  upper  grove  from  the  lower/  The  eight  groves  are, 
in  geographical  order  from  north  to  south :  first,  the  Calaveras ;  second,  the 
Stanislaus ;  third,  Crane  Flat ;  fourth,  Mariposa ;  fifth,  Fresno ;  sixth.  King's 
and  Kaweah  Rivers ;  seventh,  North  Fork  Tule  River  eighth,  South  Fork 
Tule  River.  These  we  will  now  notice  in  the  above  order,  beginning  with 
the  one  best  known  and  most  visited. 

The  Calaveras  Grove  is  situated  in  the  county  of  that  name,  about  sixteen 
miles  from  Murphy's  Camp,  and  near  the  Stanislaus  River.  It  is  on,  or  near, 
the  road  crossing  the  Sierra  by  the  Silver  Mountain  Pass.  This  being  the 
first  gi-ove  of  the  Big  Trees  discovered,  and  the  most  accessible,  it  has  come 
more  into  notice  and  been  much  more  visited  than  any  of  the  others ; 
indeed,  this  and  the  Mariposa  Grove  are  the  only  ones  which  have  become 
a  resort  for  travellers.  The  Calaveras  Grove  has  also  the  great  advantage 
over  the  others,  that  a  good  hotel  is  kept  there,  and  that  it  is  accessible 
on  wheels,  all  the  others  being  at  a  greater  or  less  distance  from  any  road. 

This  grove  occupies  a  belt  3,200  feet  long  by  700  feet  broad,  extending  in 
a  northwest  and  southeast  direction,  in  a  depression  between  two  slopes, 
through  which  meanders  a  small  brook  which  dries  tip  in  the  summer. 
There  are  between  90  and  100  trees  of  lai'ge  size  in  the  grove,  and  a  consid- 
erable number  of  small  ones,  chiefly  on  the  outskirts.  Several  have  fallen 
19 


146 


THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 


since  the  gi'ove  was  discovered  ;  one  has  been  cut  down ;  and  one  has  had 
the  bark  stripped  from  it  np  to  the  height  of  IIG  feet  above  the  ground. 
The  bark  thus  removed  was  exhibited  in  different  places,  and  finally  found 
a  resting-place  in  the  Sydenham  Crystal  Palace,  where  it  was  unfortunately 
burned,  in  the  fire  which  consumed  a  part  of  that  building  a  few  years  since. 
The  two  trees  thus  destro^'ed  were  perhaps  the  finest  in  the  gi'ove ;  the 
tallest  now  standing  is  the  one  callcfl  the  "  Keystone  State " ;  the  largest 
and  finest  is  known  as  the  "  Empire  State."  The  height  of  this  grove  above 
the  sea-level  is  4,759  feet. 

The  annexed  table  shows  the  elevation  of  all  the  trees  which  could 
be  conveniently  measured,  and  their  circumference  at  six  feet  above  the 
gi'ound  :  — 

TABLE   OF  MEASUREMENTS  OF  HEIGHT  AND   CIRCUMFERENCE  OF 
TREES   IN  THE   CALAVERAS   GROVE. 


A'ame  of  Tree. 

Circumference 

6  feet  above 

ground. 

Height. 

Keystone  State 

Feet. 
45 
40 
61 
47 
41 
52 
48 
47 
46 
51 
49 
50 
30 
44 
27 
40 
43 
51 
30 
48 
34 
43 
51 
34 
33 
50 
39 
31 
37 
27 
31 

Feet. 
325 
319 
315 
307 
284 
283 
282 
280 
275 
274 
272 
271 
269 
268 
266 
265 
265 
261 
262 
262 
261 
258 
256 
252 
250 
250 
249 
246 
246 
239 
231 

General  Jackson 

Mother  of  the  Forest (without  bark) 

Daniel  Webster 

Ricliard  Cobden 

T.  Starr  Kinc: 

Pride  of  the  Forest 

Henrv  Clay 

Bay  State .    . 

Jas.  King  of  William 

Sentinel 

Arborvitju  Queen 

Abraham  Lincoln 

Maid  of  Honor 

Old  Vermont 

Uncle  Sam 

Mother  &  Son  (Mother) 

Three  Graces  (highest) 

Wm.  Culicn  Bryant 

U.  S.  Grant 

General  Scott 

George  Washington 

Henry  Ward  Beecher 

California 

Uncle  Tom's  Cabin 

Beautv  of  the  Forest 

J.  B.  M'Phcrson 

Florence  Nightingale 

Elihu  Burritt 

THE   BIG   TEEES.  147 

The  exact  measurement  of  the  diameter  and  the  ascertaining  cff  the  age 
of  one  of  the  largest  trees  in  this  grove  was  made  possible  by  cutting  it 
down.  This  was  done  soon  after  the  gi'ove  was  discovered,  and  is  said  to 
have  occupied  five  men  during  twenty-two  days.  The  felling  was  done  by 
boring  through  the  tree  with  pumjo-augers ;  it  was  no  small  aft'air  to  persuade 
the  trunk  to  fall,  even  after  it  had  been  completely  severed  from  its  connec- 
tion with  the  base.  It  was  done,  however,  by  driving  in  wedges  on  one  side, 
until  the  ponderous  mass  was  inclined  sufficiently,  which  was  not  effected 
until  after  three  days  of  labor. 

The  stump  of  this  tree  was  squared  off  smoothly  at  six  feet  above  the 
ground,  and  the  bark  being  removed,  a  pavilion  was  built  over  it,  forming  a 
capacious  room,  the  exact  dimensions  of  the  stump  inside  of  the  bark  being, 

Across  its  longest  diameter,  south  of  centre,  13  feet  9^  inches. 

"  "  "  north  of  centre,  10    "    4        " 

Total  longest  diameter  .         .         .         .         24    "    1  n      " 

The  shorter  diameter,  or  that  east  and  west,  was  23  feet,  divided  exactly 
even  on  each  side  of  the  centre.  The  thickness  of  the  bark,  averaging  18 
inches  probably,  would  add  three  feet  to  the  diameter  of  the  tree,  making 
27  feet  in  all.  After  this  tree  had  been  cut  down,  it  was  again  cut  through 
about  30  feet  from  the  first  cut.  At  the  upper  end  of  this  section  of  the 
trunk,  or  about  40  feet  from  the  ground,  as  the  tree  originally  stood,  we 
carefully  counted  the  rings  of  annual  growth,  measuring  at  the  same  time 
the  width  of  each  set  of  one  hundred,  beginning  at  the  exterior  ;  the  result 
was  as  follows  :  — 

First    hundred 3.0  inches. 

Second     "        3.7  " 

Third        "        4.1  " 

Fourth      "        3.9  " 

Fifth         "        4.1  " 

Sixth         "        4.1  " 

Seventh    "        4.6  " 

Eighth      "        5.6  " 

Ninth        "        7.3  " 

Tenth       "        7.9  " 

Eleventh"        10.1  " 

Twelfth    "        13.0  " 

55  years   "        9.4  " 

1,255  years.  80.8  " 


148  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

There  was  a  small  cavity  in  the  centre  of  the  tree  which  prevented  an 
accurate  tixhig  of  its  age  ;  but  making  duo  allowance  for  that,  and  for  the 
time  required  to  grow  to  tlie  height  at  which  the  count  was  made,  it  will 
be  safe  to  say  that  this  particular  tree,  which  was  probably  about  as  large 
as  any  now  standing  in  the  grove,  was,  in  round  numbers,    1,300  years  old. 

The  Calaveras  Grove  contains,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  table  on  page  14G, 
four  trees  over  300  feet  high,  the  highest  one  measured  in  the  Mariposa 
Grove  being  272.  The  published  statements  of  the  heights  of  these  trees 
are  considex'ably  exaggerated,  as  will  be  noticed  ;  but  our  measurements  can 
be  relied  on  as  being  correct.*  The  Keystone  State  has  the  honor  of  stand- 
ing at  the  head,  with  325  feet  as  its  elevation,  and  this  is  the  tallest  tree 
yet  measured  on  this  continent,  so  far  as  our  information  goes.  When  Ave 
observe  how  regularly  and  gradually  the  trees  diminish  in  size,  from  the 
highest  down,  it  will  be  evident  that  the  stories  told,  of  trees  having  once 
stood  in  this  grove  over  400  feet  in  height,  are  not  entitled  to  credence.  It 
is  not  at  all  likely  that  any  one  tree  should  have  overtopped  all  the  others 
by  75  feet  or  more.  The  same  condition  of  general  average  elevation,  and 
absence  of  trees  very  much  taller  than  any  of  the  rest  in  the  grove,  will 
be  noticed  among  the  trees  on  the  Mariposa  grant,  where,  however,  there 
is  no  one  as  high  as  300  feet. 

The  next  gi'ove  south  of  the  one  just  noticed  is  south  of  the  Stanislaus 
River,  near  the  borders  of  Calaveras  and  Tuolumne  Counties.  It  has  never 
been  visited  by  any  member  of  the  Geological  Survey,  and  is  not  located  on 
any  map.  It  has  been  described  to  us  as  being  about  ten  miles  southeast 
of  the  Calaveras  Grove,  on  Beaver  Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Stanislaus.  It  is 
said  to  contain  from  GOO  to  800  trees,  but  none  as  large  as  those  already 
described. 

About  twenty-five  miles  southeast  of  the  last-mentioned  grove  is  another, 
which  may  be  called  the  Crane  Flat  Grove,  as  it  is  from  a  mile  to  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  the  statioii  of  that  name  on  the  Coidterville  trail  to  the 
Yosemite,  in  a  northwesterly  direction.  It  was  visited  by  our  party,  in  haste, 
and  its  extent  was  not  ascertained  nor  the  number  of  trees  counted.  They 
stand   mostly  on   the    north    slope    of  a  hill,  rather  sheltered  from  the  wind ; 

*  Several  trees  were  measured  twice,  and  the  results,  in  every  case,  found  to  be  closely  coincident. 


THE   BIG  TREES.  149 

and,  so  far  as  observed,  are  rather  smaller  than  those  of  the  Calaveras  Grove. 
The  largest  sound  tree  measured  was  57  feet  in  circumference,  at  three  feet 
from  the  gi'ound.  A  stmiip,  so  burned  that  only  one  half  remained,  was  23 
feet  in  diameter,  inside  the  bark  at  three  feet  from  the  ground.  A  single 
Big  Tree  stands  in  the  woods,  by  itself,  somewhere  southwest  of  the  Crane 
Flat  Grove,  and  between  it  and  the  Merced.  It  is  the  only  instance,  so  far 
as  we  know,  of  the  occurrence  of  this  species  thus  solitary  and  alone.  There 
is  an  almost  entirely  luiexplored  region  between  the  Beaver  Creek  and  the 
Crane  Flat  Groves,  and  there  may  possibly  be  some  more  Big  Trees  existing 
there  and  not  yet  discovered.  It  is  about  twenty  miles,  still  in  a  south- 
westerly direction,  from  Crane  Flat  to  the  Mariposa  Grove,  and  that  region 
has  been  so  thoroughly  explored  by  the  Survey,  that  there  is  no  reason  to 
suppose  that  any  more  of  these  trees  will  be  found  there. 

The  Mariposa  Grove  is  situated  about  sixteen  miles  dii'ectly  south  of  the 
Lower  Hotel  in  the  Yosemite  Valley,  and  between  three  and  four  miles 
southeast  of  Clark's  ranch,  and  at  an  elevation  of  about  1,500  feet  above  the 
last-named  place,  or  of  5,500  feet  above  the  sea-level.  It  lies  in  a  little 
valley,  occupying  a  depression  on  the  back  of  a  ridge,  which  runs  along  in 
an  easterly  direction  between  Big  Creek  and  the  South  Merced.  One  of 
the  branches  of  the  creek  heads  in  the  grove. 

The  gi-ant  made  by  Congress  is  two  miles  square,  and  embraces,  in  reality, 
two  distinct,  or  nearly  distinct  groves  ;  that  is  to  say,  two  collections  of  Big 
Trees,  between  which  there  is  an  intervening  space  without  any.  The  Upper 
Grove  is  in  a  pretty  compact  body,  containing,  on  an  area  of  3,700  by  2,300 
feet  in  dimensions,  just  365  trees  of  the  Sequoia  gigayitea,  of  a  diameter 
of  one  foot  and  over,  besides  a  gi-eat  number  of  small  ones.  The  lower 
grove,  which  is  smaller  in  size  and  more  scattered,  lies  in  a  southwesterly 
direction  from  the  other,  some  trees  growing  quite  high  up  in  the  gulches 
on  the  south  side  of  the  ridge  which  separates  the  two  groves. 

The  trail  approaches  the  Upper  Grove  from  the  west  side,  and  passes 
through  and  around  it,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  take  the  visitor  very  near  to* 
almost  all  the  largest  trees;  to  accomplish  this,  it  ascends  one  branch  of  the 
creek  and  then  crosses  over  and  descends  the  other,  showing  that  the  size 
of  the  trees  depends  somewhat  on  their  position  in  regard  to  water.  Still, 
there  are  several  very  large  ones  on  the  side  hill  south  of  the  creek,  quite 
high  above  the  water. 


150  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK. 

Several  of  the  trees  in  this  gi-ove  have  been  named,  some  of  them,  indeed, 
half  a  dozen  times  ;  there  arc  no  names,  however,  -which  seem  to  have  become 
current,  as  is  the  case  in  the  Calaveras  Grove.  A  plan  has  been  drawn  for 
the  Commissioners,  however,  showing  each  tree,  with  its  exact  position  and 
size,  a  number  being  attached  to  each.  The  circumference  of  every  tree  in 
the  grove  was  also  carefully  measured,  and  the  height  of  such  as  could 
be  conveniently  got  at  for  this  purpose. 

From  the  following  table  it  will  be  seen  that  there  are  several  trees  in  this 
gi'ove  larger  than  an}'  in  the  Calaveras,  and  that  their  average  size  is  greater. 
The  average  height  of  the  Mariposa  trees,  however,  is  less  than  that  of  the 
Calaveras ;  and  the  highest  of  the  former,  272  feet,  is  53  feet  less  than 
the  tallest  one  of  the  latter.  There  is  a  burned  stump  on  the  north  side 
of  the  grove,  nearly  all  gone,  but  indicating  a  tree  of  a  size  perhaps  a  little 
gi'eater  than  any  now  existing  here.  The  beauty  of  the  Mariposa  Grove  has 
been  sadly  marred  by  the  ravages  of  fire,  which  has  evidently  swept  through 
it  again  and  again,  almost  ruining  many  of  the  finest  trees.  Still,  the  general 
appearance  of  the  grove  is  extremely  gi-and  and  imposing.  There  are  about 
125  trees  over  40  feet  in  circumference. 

The  principal  trees  associated  with  the  Big  Trees  in  this  grove  are  :  the 
pitch  and  sugar  pines,  the  Douglas  spruce,  the  white  fir  {Picea  grandis),  and 
the  bastard  cedar  (Libocedrits  demirrens)  ;  the  latter  so  much  resembles  the 
Big  Tree  in  the  general  appearance  of  its  trunk  and  bark,  that  there  was 
no  person  in  om-  party  who  could  certainly  distinguish  the  two  species  at 
a  little  distance. 

There  are  but  very  few  of  the  young  Big  Trees  growing  within  the  gi-ove, 
where  probably  they  have  been  destroyed  by  fire  ;  around  the  base  of  several 
of  the  large  trees,  on  the  outskirts  of  the  grove,  there  are  small  plantations 
of  young  Sequoias,  of  all  sizes,  up  to  six  or  eight  inches  in  diameter,  but 
only  a  few  as  large  as  this.  Those  trees  which  are  about  ten  feet  in 
diameter  and  entirely  uninjured  by  fire,  in  the  full  symmetry  of  a  vigorous 
ISgi-owth  of  say  500  years,  are,  although  not  as  stupendous  as  the  older  giants 
of  the  forest,  still  exceedingly  beautiful  and  impressive. 

The  annexed  table  gives  the  height  of  all  that  were  measured,  and  the 
circumference  of  these  and  of  several  other  of  the  largest  trees  in  the  grove, 
with  some  remarks  as  to  their  condition  and  appearance :  — 


THE   BIG  TKEES. 


151 


TABLE  OF  MEASUREMENTS   OF  HEIGHT  AND   CIKCUMFEEENCE  OF 
TREES   IN   THE   MARIPOSA   GROVE. 


No. 

Height. 

Circumference 
at  Ground. 

Circumference 
at  G  feet  above 
the  Ground. 

Remarks. 

6 

77.5 

7 

72.5 

11 

62. 

12 

244 

62. 

Very  fine  symmetrical  tree. 

15 

272 

Fine  sound  tree. 

16 

86.5 

31  feet  in  diameter.     Hollow. 

20 

72.5 

55. 

Fine  tree. 

21 

44. 

Very  fine  ti'ee,  not  swollen  at  base. 

27 

250 

48. 

29 

89.8 

31 

186 

35.7 

29.6 

Very  straight  and  symmetrical. 

35 

6.5. 

50.8 

38 

226 

27. 

49 

194 

51 

218 

56. 

39. 

Very  fine  tree. 

52 

249 

40. 

Fine  tree. 

60 

81.6 

59. 

Very  fine  tree,  but  burned  at  base. 

64 

82.4 

50. 

Very  fine  tree. 

66 

221 

39.8 

69 

219 

35.7 

70 

225 

43.9 

77 

197 

27.8 

102 

255 

50. 

Very  fine  tree. 

158 

223 

164 

243 

27.6 

169 

79.6 

Much  burned  at  base. 

171 

82.7 

Badly  burned  on  one  side. 

174 

268 

40.8 

194 

192 

46. 

Two  trees,  united  at  the  base. 

205 

229 

87.8 

(  INIuch  burned  on  one  side,  formerly  over 
(      100  feet  in  circumference. 

206 

235 

70.4 

216 

63.2 

Very  larije  tree,  much  burned  at  base. 

226 

219 

48. 

Fine  tree. 

236 

256 

46. 

238 

57. 

26  feet  in  diameter,  burned  on  one  side. 

239 

187 

26.6 

245 

270 

81.6 

67.2 

Burned  on  one  side. 

253 

74.3 

60. 

262 

56. 

Half  burned  away  at  base. 

275 

68. 

286 

76. 

Bui-ncd  on  one  side  neai'ly  to  centre. 

290 

46. 

301 

51. 

(  Largest  tree  in  the  Grove,  27  feet  in 

304 

260 

92.7 

<      diameter,  but  all  burned  away  on  one 

(      side. 

?  S])len(lid  tree,  over  100  feet  in  circum- 

330 

91.6 

}      ference  originally,  but  much  burned 
(      at  base. 

348 

227 

51. 

The    meadows    on    the    Big    Tree    Grant    abound    in    gay,  blooming  flowers. 
!Mr.   Bolander    enumerates,  as    the    most    consijicuous :     Eudbechia    Californica, 


152  THE  YOSEMITE  GUIDE-BOOK. 

Gray ;  Aconitum  nasiitum,  Fischer ;  Anisocarpus  liolanderi,  Gray ;  Boykinia 
occidetitalis,  T.  and  G.  ;  iSidakea  malvcefiora,  Gray ;  Jlt/rica  Gale,  L.  ;  Iluhia 
hrevifolia,  Gray;  Epilobiuni  aiigustifoliiivi ;  Veratrnm  Californicum.  A  species 
of  lupine  is  very  abundant,  and  this,  with  the  Rudbechla,  gives  the  main 
coloring  to  the  meadows,  wliich  also  abound  with  numerous  carices. 

Tlie  southern  division  of  the  Mariposa  Grove,  or  Lower  Grove,  as  it  is 
usually  called,  is  said  to  contain  about  half  as  many  trees  as  the  one  just 
described.  They  are  much  scattered  among  other  trees,  and  do  not,  there- 
fore, present  as  imposing  an  appearance  as  those  in  the  other  grove,  where 
quite  a  large  number  can  often  be  seen  from  one  point.  The  largest  tree  in 
the  Lower  Grove  is  the  one  known  as  the  "  Grizzlj'  Giant,"  which  is  9.3  feet 
7  inches  in  circumference  at  the  gi'ound,  and  64  feet  3  inches  at  11  feet 
above.  Its  two  diameters  at  the  base,  as  near  as  we  could  measure,  were  30 
and  31  feet.  The  calculated  diameter,  at  11  feet  above  the  ground,  is  20 
feet  nearly.  The  tree  is  very  much  injured  and  decreased  in  size  by  burning, 
for  which  no  allowance  has  been  made  in  the  above  measurements.  Some  of 
the  branches  of  this  tree  are  fully  six  feet  in  diameter,  or  as  large  as  the 
trunks  of  the  largest  elms  of  the  Connecticut  Valley,  of  which  Dr.  Holmes 
has  so  pleasantly  discoursed  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly.  This  tree,  however, 
has  long  since  passed  its  prime,  and  has  the  battered  and  war-worn  appear- 
ance conveyed  by  its  name. 

The  next  grove  south  of  the  ]\Iariposa  is  one  in  Fresno  County,  about 
fourteen  miles  southeast  of  Clark's,  and  not  far  from  a  conspicuous  point 
called  "Wannuelo  Rock.  Mr.  Clark  has  described  this  grove,  which  we  have 
not  visited,  as  extending  for  above  two  and  a  half  miles  in  length  by  from 
one  to  two  in  breadth.  He  has  counted  500  trees  in  it,  and  believes  the 
whole  number  to  be  not  far  from  600.  The  largest  measured  81  feet  in 
circumference,  at  three  feet  from  the  ground. 

No  other  grove  of  Big  Trees  has  been  discovered  to  tlic  southeast  of  this, 
along  the  slope  of  the  Sierra,  until  we  reach  a  point  more  than  fifty  miles 
distant  from  the  Fresno  Grove.  Here,  between  the  King's  and  Kaweah 
Rivers,  is  by  far  the  most  extensive  collection  of  trees  of  this  species  which 
has  3'et  been  discovered  in  the  State. 

This  belt  of  trees,  for  grove  it  can  hardly  be  called,  occurs  about  thirty 
miles  north-northeast  of  Visalia,  on  the  tributaries  of  the  King's  and  Kaweah 


THE   BIG  TEEES.  •       153 

Rivers,  and  on  the  divide  between.  They  are  scattered  over  the  slopes  and 
on  the  vallej's,  but  are  larger  in  the  depressions,  where  the  soil  is  more 
moist.  Along  the  ti-ail  which  runs  from  Visalia  to  the  Big  Meadows,  the 
belt  is  four  or  five  miles  wide,  and  it  extends  over  a  vertical  range  of  about 
2,500  feet ;  its  total  length  is  as  much  as  eight  or  ten  miles,  and  may  be 
more.  The  trees  are  not  collected  together  into  gi'oves,  but  arc  scattered 
through  the  forests,  and  associated  with  the  other  s^iecies  usually  occurring 
at  this  altitude  in  the  Sierra ;  they  are  most  abundant  at  from  G,000  to 
7,000  feet  elevation  above  the  sea-level.  Their  number  is  great ;  probably 
thousands  might  be  counted.  Their  size,  however,  is  not  gi'eat,  the  average 
being  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  and  but  few  exceeding  20  feet  ; 
but  smaller  trees  are  veiy  numerous.  One  tree,  which  had  been  cut,  had 
a  diameter  of  eight  feet,  exclusive  of  the  bark,  and  was  377  years  old.  The 
largest  one  seen  was  near  Thomas's  Mill ;  this  had  a  circumference  of  106 
feet  near  the  gi'ound,  no  allowance  being  made  for  a  portion  which  was 
burned  away  at  the  base.  When  entire  the  tree  may  have  been  ten  or 
twelve  feet  moi'e  in  circumference.  At  about  twelve  feet  from  the  ground,  the 
circumference  was  75  feet.  Its  height  was  276  feet.  The  top  was  dead, 
however,  and,  although  the  tree  was  symmetrical  and  in  good  growth,  it  had 
past  its  prime. 

Another  tree,  which  had  fallen,  and  had  been  burned  hollow,  was  so  large^ 
that  three  horsemen  could  ride  abreast  into  the  cavity  for  a  distance  of  30' 
feet,  its  height  and  width  being  about  11  feet.  At  a  distance  of  70  feet 
the  diameter  of  the  cavity  was  still  as  much  as  eight  feet.  The  base  of  this 
tree  could  not  be  easily  measured ;  but  the  trunk  was  burned  through  at 
120  feet  from  the  ground,  and  at  that  point  had  a  diameter  (exclusive 
of  the  bark)  of  13  feet  2  inches  ;  and,  at  169  feet  from  its  base,  the  tree 
was  nine  feet  in  diameter.  The  Indians  stated  that  a  still  larger  tree  ex- 
isted to  the  north  of  King's  River.  This  tree  should  be  looked  up  and 
carefully  measured;  unfortunately,  it  was  not  in  the  power  of  our  party  to 
do   this. 

AU  through  these  forests  there  are  numerous  young  Big  Trees,  of  all  sizes, 

from  the  seedling  upwards,  and  at  Thomas's  mill  they  are  cut  up  for  lumber, 

in  a  manner  quite   at  variance  with   the   oft-repeated   story   of  the   exceptional 

character  of  the   species.      Prostrate  trunks  of  old  trees  are  also   numerous  ; 

20 


154  THE   YOSEMITE   GUIDE-BOOK, 

some  of  them  must  have  lain  for  ages,  as  they  ^yel•e  nearly  gone,  while  the 
wood  is  very  durable. 

The  only  other  groves  yet  discovered  are  those  on  the  Tule  River,  of 
which  there  are  two,  one  on  the  north  and  the  other  on  the  south  branch 
of  that  stream.  They  are  15  miles  apart,  and  the  most  northerly  of  the  two 
is  about  30  miles  from  the  gi-ove  last  described.  As  the  intervening  region 
has  been  but  little  ex}>lored,  it  is  not  at  all  unlikely  that  more  of  the  Big 
Trees  may  be  found  along  the  fork  of  the  Kaweah  which  intersects  this 
region  with  its  numerous  branches.  AVe  are  not  aware  that  these  two  Tule 
groves  were  known  previous  to  their  discovery  by  Mr.  D'Heureuse,  one  of 
the  topographers  of  the  Geological  Survey,  in  18G7 ;  at  least,  no  notice 
of  them  had  ever  appeared  in  print.  The  number  of  trees  in  these  groves 
is  quite  large,  as  they  are  scattered  over  several  square  miles  of  area.  The 
largest  of  them  were  said  by  Mr.  D'Hem-euse  to  be  about  the  size  of  the 
largest  in  the  other  groves. 

Not  one  of  the  Big  Trees  has  ever  been  found  south  of  the  grove  on  the 
South  Fork  of  the  Tule.  The  region  has  not,  however,  been  so  thoroughly 
explored  that  it  would  be  safe  to  say  that  none  exist  there.  Judging  from 
the  extent  of  the  area  over  which  this  species  is  scattered,  between  King's 
and  Kaweah  Rivers,  it  would  seem  that  here  was  its  most  congenial  habitat, 
and  it  may  eventually  be  found  that  this  tree  forms  pretty  nearly  a  contin- 
uous belt,  for  some  fifty  or  sixty  miles. 

From  what  has  been  stated  above,  the  reader  will  easily  gather,  that  the 
Big  Tree  is  not  that  wonderfully  exceptional  thing  which  popular  writers 
have  almost  always  described  it  as  being.  It  is  not  so  restricted  in  its  range 
as  some  other  species  of  the  Coniferce  in  California;  it  occurs  in  great  abun- 
dance, of  all  ages  and  sizes,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  it  is  now 
dying  out,  or  that  it  belongs  to  a  past  geological  era,  any  more  than  the 
redwood.  The  age  of  the  Big  Trees  is  not  so  gi'eat  as  that  assigned,  by  the 
highest  authorities,  to  some  of  the  English  yews.  Neither  is  its  height  as 
great,  by  far,  as  that  of  an  Australian  species,  the  Eucalyptus  arnygdalina, 
many  of  which  have,  on  the  authority  of  Dr.  ^liiller,  the  eminent  Govern- 
ment l)ot;uiist,  been  found  to  measure  over  400  feet.  One,  indeed,  reaches 
the    enonnous    elevation    of   480   feet,  thus  overtopping  the  tallest  Sequoia  by 

155  feet.     There  are  also  trees  which  exceed  the  Big  Tree  in  diameter,  as,  for 


THE   BIG   TEEES.  155 

instance,  the  Baobab  (Adansonia  di'jltatn) ;  but  these  are  always  compara- 
tively low,  not  exceeding  60  or  70  feet  in  height,  and  much  swollen  at  the 
base. 

On  the  whole,  it  may  be  stated,  that  there  is  no  known  tree  which 
approaches  the  Sequoia  in  grandeur,  thickness  and  height  being  both  taken 
into  consideration,  unless  it  be  the  Eiicali/ptus.  The  largest  Australian  tree 
yet  reported  is  said  to  be  81  feet  in  circumference,  at  four  feet  from  the 
ground ;  this  is  nearly,  but  not  quite,  as  large  as  some  of  the  largest  of 
the  Bio-  Trees  of  California. 


THE      END. 


University  Press,  Cambridge :  Printed  by  Welch,   Bigelow,  &  Co. 


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